Daddy
by chiquislover25
Summary: A collection of one shots involving Rachel, Jesse, and the little boy who calls him Daddy.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello! So I've been stuck in a non-stop listen to the cast album of Hamilton for the past few weeks and tried to get out of it by putting my IPod on shuffle and I kid you not, this was the first song that came up, which frustrated me because I had finally gotten it out of my head. So this is completely random and I have no idea where it came from.**

 **I don't own the characters (except for Chris) nor do I own the song.**

Christopher is walking around his New York home with his mother's IPod. He's proud of himself because he managed to get it without her or his daddy noticing and is going through it to find a song. Something in him, he doesn't understand what, makes him stop at a certain song and without thinking starts playing it.

" ** _Highway run. Into the midnight sun. Wheels go round and round. You're on my mind_** ," the song starts and leaves Chris feeling confused. He's never heard this song before and feels like it's important but he doesn't know why.

" ** _Restless hearts. Sleep alone tonight. Sending all my love. Along the wire. And they say that the road ain't no place to start a family. But, right down the line it's been you and me. And loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be,_** " he's so into the song that he doesn't hear the footsteps behind him nor feels the presence that is now entered his room.

" ** _Oh girl, you stand by me. I'm forever yours. Faithfully_**."

"Chris, what are you doing?" a voice speaks right behind him and Chris drops the IPod before turning around to face his father.

"Nothing, Daddy," he says blushing a little as the song keeps playing.

"Is that your mom's IPod?" he asks as he looks behind the boy who just nods.

"I wanted to listen to some music," Chris tries to explain shyly.

He looks up and sees his father's face of contemplation, with a soft smile but a little bit of sadness in his eyes, as the song continues to play. He crouches down to retrieve the IPod and continues to let it play while he stares at it. Chris sees that his daddy is gone somewhere else, it's the same look his mommy gets when she's remembering something.

"You know your mommy sang this song once," his daddy says softly.

"Really?!" Chris asks excitedly. He loves hearing his mommy singing and his daddy made sure to show him all the videos of her singing when she wasn't looking.

"Yes really," he says, looking up, seeing his wife in the little boy's excitement. Rachel's traits were few in the boy but he loved seeing them when he could, the rest of him was his father. "Do you want to see?"

"Yes!" Chris says happily raising his arms up as his daddy stood up. He hears his daddy chuckle as he bends down again and lifts him up, carrying him to his mommy's and daddy's room.

He sets Chris down on the bed as he retrieves his laptop and a DVD that he keeps hidden. He sits on the bed and the boy crawls onto his lap, as he's done since he learned to sit up and move by himself.

The DVD begins to play and the music starts. At the back of the auditorium a young man appears singing the first lyrics.

" ** _Highway run. Into the midnight sun. Wheels go round and round. You're on my mind_**."

" ** _Restless hearts. Sleep alone tonight. Sending all my love. Along the wire_** " Chris quickly identifies the young girl as his mommy, as she walks in and starts singing with the young man, and smiles.

" ** _And they say that the road ain't no place to start a family. But, right down the line it's been you and me. And loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be_** " both teens sing together as they join in the middle of the auditorium.

Chris sees the younger version of his mommy looking at the young man the same way she did when looking at his daddy.

" ** _Oh boy, you stand by me_** ," she sings.

" ** _I'm forever yours. Faithfully_** ," both teens sing together as they make their way to the stage.

"Is that my real daddy?" Chris asks quietly. He feels his father press a kiss on his head.

"Yes, that's your real daddy," he answers truthfully.

"He and mommy sound pretty," Chris says as he continues to look at the young man on the screen, amazed as he sees himself in the young man.

"Yeah they did. It was the best performance of the night, in my opinion," he says with a sad chuckle. The little boy turns his head to look at his father's face. He looks into the blue eyes, which contain a bit of sadness in them, and frowns.

"Where are you?" he asks. His daddy chuckles as he pauses the video and points to a bright pink shirt hiding in the audience. The boy smiles at seeing his daddy on the video too. "Did you and mommy sing too?" he asks.

"No," he answers quickly. "Come on, pay attention," he says playfully as he makes the boy's attention turn back to the video.

" ** _Circus life. Under the big top world_** ," young Rachel sings.

" ** _We all need the clowns to make us smile_** ," both teens sing together.

" ** _Oh! Through space and time_** ," she sings on.

" ** _Through space and time_** ," he sings back to her as they make their way to the stage

" ** _Always another show_**. **_Wondering where I am, lost without you_**. **_And being apart ain't easy on this love affair_**. **_Two strangers learned to fall again. I got the joy of rediscovering you,"_** both sing as they reach the stage

" ** _Oh girl, you stand by me_** ," the young man sings with all the love that he had.

" ** _I'm forever yours, Faithfully_**."

"Did he love mommy?" Chris asks, seeing the same look on the young man's face as on his daddy's when he looked at his mommy.

"He did, more than anything," his daddy answers, placing another kiss on his head.

"Did mommy love him?"

"Yes," he says softly. The boy turns around to face him as the video continues to play.

"But she loves you," Chris points out.

"I know, but love is complicated. I know…" he pauses to correct himself as he sees his son angry face "we both know…" he corrects and sees the boy smile at being included, "your mommy loves me and I love her. But part of her will always love _him,"_ he gestures towards the video. "Because he gave her you and that is something both of us will be forever grateful for," he says as he touches their foreheads together and takes a deep breath.

"Since I came back into your mommy's life and she gave me the chance to be in it, I have thanked him for you. And when I held you the first time, I promised to be the best daddy I could be for you since he didn't get a chance to," he explains with tears building in his eyes. The little boy also has tears gathering in his eyes.

"Did he love me?" Chris asks and he feels his daddy hold him tightly.

"I'm sure he did. He would have loved to be your daddy, to get to know you, to love you as much as he loved your mom," he says as he holds the boy. "Even now, I'm sure he's watching over you, watching you grow up, taking care of you."

" ** _Faithfully_** ," they hear his voice sing from the video. They both turn to watch the video again.

" ** _Faithfully. I'm still yours_** ," young Rachel sings. As the song ends Chris speaks up.

"You are the best daddy," he assures him as he turns around to face the man that has raised him as his own. The man who has showed him and his mommy unconditional love. Although he knows he's not his real daddy, he's the only one he's ever known. The one who reads to him, plays with him, sings to him and takes care of him and his mommy.

Tears begin to fall from the man's face.

"Don't cry Daddy," the boy says as he wipes the tears.

"I'm not. Jesse St. James, doesn't cry," he says jokingly as he wipes his tears away. "Come on, your mom will be home soon and we still need to make dinner," he says as he moves the boy from his lap and closes the laptop.

As he gets off the bed, Chris stands on the bed and holds his arms out. Jesse makes his way over to him, picks him up and feels the boy hold on to him as they make their way out the room.

"I love you, Daddy," the boy whispers into his ear.

"I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi. First of all, thank you for the reviews, I really do appreciate them. Second, I'm not that good at continuing a story, which is why I have pretty much only written one shots. I tried my hand at it again but I'm not completely happy with what I wrote but I decided to add it to the story anyway. Once again thanks.**

 **I DO NOT OWN CHARACTERS (JUST CHRIS)**

It's one of the first memories he has. It involved his grandma Carol watching him while his mommy and daddy went out to eat. Daddy had stayed in the car while Mommy took him into Grandma Carol's house.

"Are you sure you're okay to watch him, Carol?" his mommy asked.

"I'll be fine, Rachel. I know its going to be hard today but having him here will make it easier," his grandma tells his mommy.

He doesn't know what they're talking about, he just wanted to go play.

"Sweetie," his mommy says getting his attention. "Be good for Grandma Carol alright? Jesse and I will be back for you later okay?"

"Okay mommy," he says hugging her as she kisses him.

"I love you so much, Chis," she whispers into his ear

"I love you too, mommy," he says back and she leaves.

He smiles up at his grandma and she smiles back but it doesn't reach her eyes. He sees sadness but doesn't understand why it's there.

He keeps to himself until dinner where he sits with Grandma and Grandpa Burt at the table. Grandma is quiet but Grandpa talks to him and makes him laugh.

"So buddy, have you seen a baseball game?" he asks and he smiles brightly, unknowingly reminding his grandma of his son.

"Yeah! Daddy took me to watch one," he says happily until his grandma starts sobbing.

"He's not your daddy," she says crying but with anger in her tone.

"Carole!" his grandpa says firmly.

"He's not Burt! That man is not his father no matter what Chris may believe," she yells at grandpa before turning to face him. "Chris, honey, Jesse isn't your real daddy," she says softer with tears falling down her face and reaching over to hold his hand.

"Carole!" Burt yells trying to stop his wife. But neither she nor the child appear to hear him.

"Your real daddy is my son, Finn," she says.

The boy is numb. He's trying to understand what his grandma is telling him but he doesn't. He starts to feel tears in his eyes as the thought of Jesse not being his daddy starts to hit him.

Why wasn't he his daddy? Did he even have a daddy now? What happened to his "real" daddy? Was his daddy, no not daddy, Jesse, going to love him anymore?

All these question run through his head as the doorbell rings and tears start falling from his eyes. He doesn't notice his grandpa rushing to the door or hear his mother's exclamation as he explained what happened. He gets out of his seat and runs, not hearing his grandma, mom or grandpa yelling his name. He runs out the door and starts running but runs into someone who immediately grabs him. He tries to fight against the hold and tugs away but is unable to do so. Instead he feels the person drop down to his height and wrap his arms around him. He immediately recognizes the arms he's in.

Daddy.

No not daddy. He's not his daddy.

"Let me go," he mumbles against the shoulder, tears still running down his eyes.

"Shh…" he hears him say as he feels himself being lifted. He buries his face against his da… Jesse's, shoulder.

He feels them moving for a long time with Jesse humming a song to calm him until he feels them stop. He lifts his head and notices that they're at a park and sniffles a bit as he takes a better look around.

"Whe… where are we?" he stumbles out.

"A park I used to take your mom when we dated," Jesse explains to him as he walks over to the swings, that are slightly lit by a streetlamp. He gently sets his son down on one of the swings and crouches down to face him.

Chris looks at him and sees a soft tender smile on his face as he wipes away his tears.

"Are you okay?" Jesse asks and he shakes his head.

"N…no…" he stumbles out feeling more tears build in his eyes.

"Shh… Tell me what's wrong," Jesse tells him softly caressing his cheek.

"Gr…grandma Ca…Carol said you…you aren't my… my daddy. That…that my real daddy was someone called Finn," he tries to explain.

"Shh. Breathe buddy calm down. It's going to be okay," he says.

"Is…is it true?" he asks.

"A little," he admits looking down at the ground before looking back up. "I'm not your real daddy but I am your daddy," he sees the confusion in his eyes. "Do you remember how one of your friends has a step daddy and a 'real' daddy," the boy nods, "well it's the same situation with me and you, I'm more like your step-daddy," he explains

"What happened to my real daddy?" the little boy asks.

"He…he died before you were born," he explains.

"So…so I won't be able to meet him?"

"No, I'm so sorry, you won't," he confirms.

"So I don't have a daddy?" he asks tearing up again. Jesse tries to push away the pain he feels at hearing this.

"No, no buddy you do. You have me, alright? I'm going to be right here beside you being the best daddy I can be for you," Jesse quickly explains

"You still love me even though you're not my real daddy?" the little boy asks.

"Of course I do. I love you so, so much and I never ever want you to doubt that okay?"

"Okay. Can…can I still call you daddy?" he asks shyly causing Jesse to smile.

"Of course you can, you can call me whatever you want to call me," he reassures his son.

The little boy hops off the swing and hugs his father.

"Love you," the little boy mumbles against his father's shoulder.

"I love you two," he says back holding the boy tightly for a few moments. "Come on let's take you back to your mom," he says standing up and carrying him back to the Hudson-Hummel household.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again! I guess I'm really enjoying this world I created that these things keep coming to my mind. Thanks again for reading.**

 **I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS OR THE MOVIE FINDING NEMO.**

She was in the kitchen watching them play around on the floor. She was looking over the last details for their wedding as she watched the two most important men in her life getting along better than she ever expected. To anyone looking at this sight, it would just be a loving father playing with his son.

But she knows better.

She knows that the man playing with her son isn't the father of her child. But nevertheless, there he is. He's taken up that role without having been asked to, without trying to take _his_ place. She turns her attention back to the list in front of her when she hears it.

"Daddy!"

Her head immediately snaps up to look into the living room. She looks at Jesse frozen in place with Chris smiling happily at him. As the little boy notices the reaction he received, his smiles begins to fall and is replaced by a confused look.

"Daddy?" he repeats in confusion.

She decides to get up and walk over, seeing Jesse still not responding. Her son turns to look up at her and she kneels down to his height.

"Sweetie, why did you call Jesse 'daddy'?" she asks him, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice.

"Movie!" he says excitedly. She sees this as an opportunity to get Jesse to snap out of it.

"Why don't you go get this movie, okay?" she says and the little boy nods. He runs away towards his room. She immediately turns to face her fiancé who is still in complete shock.

"Jesse," she whispers putting a hand on his cheek. "I need you to come back, babe. I know him calling you that came as a shock but I need you here right now."

"I…I," he starts saying, finally appearing to snap out of it. "I swear I never asked him to call me that, Rachel. You have to believe me,"

"Shh," trying to calm him down. "I know you haven't. He said something about a movie okay, calm down," she says hearing little steps coming towards them. She watches Jesse snap his showface on as they both turn to look at the little boy as he stands in front of them with a movie.

"Can I see it buddy?" Jesse asks gently and the boy nods eagerly as he hands the movie over and runs quickly back to his room.

They recognize the movie of course. He's been watching it on a loop since Kurt gave it to him. They look up to see him come back with a picture book. Without even thinking the boy pushes his way into Jesse's lap and opens the book to a picture of Nemo and Merlin hugging and Nemo calling Merlin "Daddy". Jesse feels his throat tighten and Rachel feels tears building in her eyes.

"Chris," the little boy says pointing at Nemo and then he points at Merlin. "Jesse!" he exclaims happily. The boy then turns uncharacteristically serious and turns to face both adults and points to Jesse. "Daddy?" he asks for confirmation of his beliefs.

Jesse turns to look at Rachel, who is trying to resist her tears. He takes her hand, gives it a squeeze and looks at her, giving her a subtle nod to let her know that he's okay with it. She smiles softly and looks at her… no not just hers, not anymore… their little boy.

"Yeah, Chris," she says wiping her tears. "He's daddy."

The little boy beams and launches himself at his mommy, hugging her as much as he can.

"I love you," Jesse mouths to her.

"I love you too," she mouths back. Both adults enjoying the rest of the day with **their** little boy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi again. This is another idea that came to mind in this little world. I've never asked for this before but Reviews are appreciated and help me know if I should or shouldn't keep doing this. Thanks again for reading.**

 **I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS!**

He's pacing outside in the waiting room, running his fingers through his hair over and over. Her fathers must think he's insane, pacing like a madman outside their daughter's room, but he can't help it.

He's nervous and Jesse St. James never gets nervous.

He remembers telling Rachel that the first time they met and recalls every time he's brought it back up since. But this is different. He isn't performing on stage, he isn't singing in a music shop, instead he's waiting in the waiting room as the love of his life gives birth to her child.

Her child, not theirs.

Back when they first dated he imagined being here, by her side, awaiting the birth of their first child. But life had other plans. Now she's giving birth to the child she conceived with whom most would consider his enemy.

But he doesn't see it that way, not anymore.

He's grown up, taken time to reflect on his life, to understand what _he_ had meant to Rachel, what he would always be for Rachel, even though he was no longer there, and to accept everything that would come along with being in Rachel's life.

Yet it had taken time.

Running into her and finding out she was pregnant was not easy for him. To be honest, it had hurt more than anything, but he never let her know that. Instead he was the supportive friend that she needed here in New York. He would accompany her to doctor visits, help her shopping, and was even called in the middle of the night to go get something she was craving. And through these months, slowly but surely he began to love the child growing in her.

He knew he would never be the father of this child, but he could come close to it. He could be the father figure that he or she needed, be there for him or her, and help Rachel raise the baby.

It had taken a while for her to agree to this, but she eventually did. Just as she eventually, after months of getting to know each other and recovering from the loss, began to fall in love with him again.

He's brought out of his thoughts by the doctor coming out to the waiting room. He stops pacing and is quickly joined by her fathers in facing the doctor.

"It's a boy," the doctor tells them and all three men have a beaming smile on their faces. Jesse barely registers the cheer that is coming from all of her friends.

"Are they okay?" Jesse asks.

"Yes, both mother and child are completely healthy," the doctor reassures him.

"Can we see them?" one of her fathers asks.

"Of course," he says.

Both of her fathers turn to look at him but he shakes his head.

"You two should go in, I can wait," Jesse tells them and they give him a smile and hug as they go in to see their daughter and grandchild.

As he waits there with her friends, he makes sure to send in Burt and Carole once they arrive and sends in all of her friends as well. The last one to go in and come out of the room is Kurt, who goes and sits next to him.

"She's asking for you," Kurt tells him. "She's a bit confused as to why you haven't gone in yet."

"Everyone else deserved to go in before me," Jesse tells him. "You all have known her longer, are more worthy of being in there with her," he explains.

"I don't think that's true. I think you should have been one of the first ones in there," Kurt tells him.

"If anyone should have been the first one in it should have been your brother," Jesse mutters. At that moment Kurt understands what he's doing.

"You didn't want to take his place, be one of the first ones in there like he should have been," Kurt says in disbelief and awe as Jesse gives him a small nod.

"I'm the person your brother disliked the most I…I felt like I should be the last person who should meet his son," Jesse admits.

"You're not the person he liked the least. I'm pretty sure the male prostitute beat you," Kurt says trying to lighten the mood, which works when he hears Jesse let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Jesse says

"He may not have liked you but I'm sure he does now," Kurt admits. "You've been taking care of Rachel and the baby since you came back into her life. I'm sure my brother, wherever he may be, is extremely grateful and happy that you're doing this for her, that you're going to be in her life and in his son's life."

"I hope you're right," Jesse says with a soft smile. "I can imagine Finn's ghost coming and hunting me down if he's not happy with what I'm doing."

"I'm sure he would," Kurt says laughing before looking towards the room. "You should go in, she really wants to see you."

"I know," he sighs as he gets up to go to the room.

"Take good care of them, Jesse," Kurt yells after him.

"I will," Jesse yells back.

He pauses outside the door and takes a deep breath before walking inside the room. She's holding a little bundle in her arms and looks up when she hears the door open. He watches as a bright smile forms on her exhausted face.

"Hey," she says softly.

"Hey," he says back, slowly walking over to her trying not to let his nerves get the better of him. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted, but really happy, especially now that you actually came in to see me," she says a bit hurt.

"I'm sorry but I felt everyone else had a bit more right to be in here before me," he explains. She nods understanding what he's silently not saying in his statement. She looks down at the little boy in her arms before looking back up at him.

"Do you want to meet him?" she asks smiling.

"I guess it would be nice to finally meet who I've been serenading for the past few months," he says chuckling and moving closer.

He gets his first good look at Rachel's son for the first time and smiles, seeing a whole lot of his father in him. His smile only grows when he sees a few features that are completely Rachel.

"Well Berry, you made one cute kid, even though you got your wish for him not to have your nose," he says.

"Hey! You know how I feel about my nose," she says.

"Yes but you know how I feel about it," he says smiling.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asks lifting the baby a bit.

"I…I'm afraid I'll drop him," he stutters out.

"You'll do fine, come on Jess. You've been taking care of me and this little guy you should get to hold him."

"O…okay," he stutters.

He slowly leans forward, arms shaking, as Rachel places the baby in his arms. As she removes her own arms and leaves the baby in his arms he feels it, a sort of spark, a bond forming with the little boy. The little boy looks up to him and appears to give him a smile even though he knows it's not one.

"You know, you're the first person he doesn't cry with?" he hears Rachel say but is unable to break eye contact with the little boy.

"Really?" he asks.

"Yeah, he wouldn't stop crying with my dads or Burt or Carole, so I didn't hand him over to the guys. But I think he likes you," she explains to him.

"Is she right buddy? Do you like me?" he coos at the baby and without thinking he leans down to kiss the top of his head. "I'm not going to replace your daddy," he starts softly, "but I'm going to do my best to be what he didn't get a chance to be, I promise," he vows before kissing him one more time. He looks over to Rachel and sees tears in her eyes. He walks over to her and kisses her forehead as well. "So what did you decide to name this beautiful baby boy?"

"Christopher," she says wiping her tears.

"Hmm. Christopher Hudson," he says nodding. "No middle name?"

"I don't know. I was wondering if you had any ideas?" she says timidly.

"What? Really?" he asks surprised.

"Yeah, really. Any names come to mind?" she asks as he sits next to her.

"Um… what about Stephen?" he suggests. He watches as a smile forms on her face knowing that the name comes from his love for Sondhiem.

"Really? Sondhiem?" she asks laughing.

"Yes really. He's one of, if not the, best composers. It's a good name," he defends.

"I kinda like it. Christopher Stephen Hudson," she says yawning.

"You should sleep, it's been a long day," he says softly and kissing her head.

"I know. I'm exhausted," she says yawning again as she lays down on the bed. "Will you stay?" she asks taking one if his hands.

"If course I will. Someone has to help you with this little guy," he says as she smiles.

Slowly she falls asleep as does Chris and Jesse smiles looking at both of them sleeping. He places Chris in the bassinet and moves it closer to them. He sits in the seat next to them both.

"I love you," he whispers to both of them before joining them in sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's another idea that came up. Once again thanks for reading this and reviews are welcomed and really appreciated.**

 **DO NOT OWN CHARACTERS EXCEPT FOR CHRIS**

 _There's been an accident…_

Those were the words that had broken Kurt Hummel's best friend, left her catatonic and incapable of doing anything but staying at her husband's side. Those were the same words he had to tell his nephew when he went to pick him up from school, when neither his mother or father were able to do so.

Now he's here, hours later, sitting in the waiting room with their friends and family. He sees Rachel's dads trying to console the twins who are too young to understand what's going on, just under a year old, a little girl and boy, perfect blends of their parents, both too young to remember their father if…

 _No! Don't think like that._

He sees his nephew sitting next to his step-grandparents who just seem to hold him and try to keep him and themselves together. He can't imagine what's going through his mind. One of his fathers was already dead and the man who had raised him, loved him as his own, the only real father he had known could soon be as well.

"I don't want him to die," he hears his nephew mutter to Jesse's parents.

"He won't sweetheart, he'll be okay, your daddy will be okay," Jesse's mother tries not only reassure the boy but herself as well.

He's not sure exactly what happened but he suddenly sees the boy running away from everyone. The grandparents try to go after him but Kurt decides to intervene.

"I'll go after him," he tells them.

"Please make sure he's alright, Kurt," he hears one of the Berry men tell him.

"I will. Let me know if there's a change," he tells them, receiving a nod, and quickly goes the direction his nephew left.

He finds him sitting in a staircase and sits next to him. He lets silence surround them for a few minutes until the boy finally snaps.

"I told him he wasn't my daddy," the boy sobs out. "I…I was mad and said that he wasn't really my daddy, that I…I didn't love him," he explains through his sobs. "And now he…he might die…I don't want to lose my daddy Uncle Kurt!"

Kurt just holds the boy as he lets out all the emotions he's feeling. He understands him, he truly does. He remembers feeling the same way when his dad had the heart attack all those years ago. The feeling of guilt, of terror, believing that you may never get the chance to take what you said back, to fix your relationship, to say and hear a simple 'I love you'.

"Shh. It's okay. He knows you didn't mean it, he knows you love him, that he's your dad. And I can assure you no matter what you said he still loves you," Kurt assures the boy.

"Really?" he questions.

"Yes really," he answers pulling away from Chris and wipes his tears. "A dad loves his child no matter what he says or does and you Chris are Jesse's child. Maybe not by blood but by everything else."

His nephew just hugs him again and they remain in that staircase for a while. They're brought back to the situation at hand when Kurt gets a call telling them to come back to the waiting room. When they get back, Blaine quickly goes over to them.

"He's woken up, the doctors said he's going to be okay," he happily tells both Kurt and Chris.

Kurt looks down to see the boy and sees a range of emotions on his face, reminding him so much of both his brother and the man inside the hospital room.

"Where is everyone?" Kurt asks looking around and seeing mostly everyone missing.

"The Berry's and St. James's are in the room. Rachel told everyone else that it was okay to go home and they all agreed to come visit in the morning," Blaine explains.

"Do you want to go in to see him, Chris?" Kurt asks. But the boy shakes his head.

"N…no…I can't," he stutters out, holding back his tears.

"Hey," Kurt says softly, kneeling down to his size. "it's okay. I'm sure he's forgiven you for what you said and wants nothing more than to see you."

"But what if he doesn't," Chris asks.

"Trust me, Chris, he wants to see his boy," Blaine assures him.

"C…can we wait?"

"Yeah, we can wait," Kurt says.

They take a seat and wait. He sees the St. James's leave and as well as the Berry's, not before all four of them say goodbye to their grandson. Finally, he sees Rachel come out into the waiting room, looking for Chris. Chris immediately runs to hug his mom as tight as he can, letting her comfort him.

"He's okay, honey. He's okay," Kurt hears his best friend whisper to her son.

"I'm so sorry, mommy," he whimpers.

"It's okay, sweetie," she says kissing his head. "Do you want to go see him?"

"Can…can Uncle Kurt come too?" Chris asks, feeling like he needs his uncle in case something goes wrong.

"Yeah, he can come," she says looking up at Kurt.

The man walks over to his best friend and nephew and gives her a smile.

"Thank you Kurt," she tells him.

"You don't need to thank me," Kurt assures her.

She gives him a small nod as they make their way to the room. As they stand outside the door, Kurt gives Chris a reassuring squeeze before hearing Rachel's voice.

"I want to warn you both, he's a bit beat up and his movement isn't that great right now, but I don't want you to freak out okay," she warns them.

"I'm sure we'll be fine, won't we Chris?" he asks the boy, who nods in agreement.

They make their way into the room and are left in shock as they finally see the condition Jesse is in. He appears to be struggling to stay awake and to focus on them and say something. Kurt tries to tell him to rest and try not to speak, but notices that the man's focus isn't on him but on the boy right in front of him.

"H…Hey buddy," he manages to say with a weak smile before a coughing fit hits him.

"He has a few broken ribs that make it hard to breathe and talk," Rachel explains as she helps Jesse with the oxygen mask.

The man, however, refuses to use the mask.

"I'm fine," he wheezes out. "I just…want to… talk with him."

"I know, it's just…" she says gently caressing his face and head.

"I know," he says before kissing her palm.

Kurt can see the love between the two of them. The relief that his best friend has at knowing that she isn't going to lose her husband. Losing his brother had been hard for her, she had only kept going because of Chris and through Jesse's help. He has no idea how she would have recovered from losing the man who had become her everything

Jesse's attention returns to the other two people in the room.

"Thank you…Kurt," he gasps out.

"Don't strain yourself, you and Rachel have nothing to thank me for," Kurt assures him, but he can tell he's only going to let it go for the moment to draw his attention back on the boy.

"C…come here b…buddy," he manages to say while gently patting the open space on the bed.

Kurt watches as Chris slowly makes his way over to the bed, tears in his eyes. It looks like he's trying to keep his emotions in check. As he stands there, a soft smile grows on Jesse's face as he manages to caress his son's face.

"I l…love you."

That appears to be what it takes for his nephew to finally break down. He launches himself unto his father, who appears to be in pain but chooses to ignore it and holds the boy instead.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. I didn't mean it. I swear I didn't," he sobs out.

"Shh. I…I know y…you didn't," he tells him kissing his head

"I don't want you to die, Daddy. I don't want you to leave," the boy sobs against his father's chest.

"I'm… not going any...where," the boy looks up, "Y…you and your m…mom are s…stuck with me," he says jokingly smiling at the boy and at his wife. Rachel and Kurt however notice that he's having more trouble breathing.

"Sweetie, your daddy needs to rest in order to get better," Rachel reluctantly tells her son.

"Do I have to go?" he asks.

"Unfortunately you do, buddy. You can stay with your Uncle Blaine and I and we'll bring you back first thing in the morning," Kurt says putting his hands on the boy's shoulders to attempt to get him off of his father's chest.

"Okay," he agrees but not before giving his father another tight hug. "I love you, Daddy."

"L…Love you too," he gasps out as the boy gets up. Rachel quickly replaces is oxygen mask.

"Sleep, please, you've been fighting it for long enough," Rachel says kissing his forehead.

"Okay," he murmurs finally letting exhaustion take him. Rachel turns to look at the both Kurt and Chris.

"Thank you for watching him Kurt," Rachel whispers.

"It's no big deal diva. I'll take good care of him, you just worry about Jesse," he assures her. She nods and looks at her son, who quickly runs over to hug her as well.

"Be good for your Uncle Kurt," she whispers to him.

"I will," he vows.

"We love you, sweetie, never forget that," she tells him

"I won't," he says letting go of his mom and leaving with his Uncle Kurt.

"You were right Uncle Kurt," Chris says as they're walking down the hall.

"About what?" he asks looking down at his nephew.

"About my Daddy still loving me," he says softly

"Of course I was," he says as the boy looks up at him. "Like your mom said they will always always love you."

"Thank you Uncle Kurt," the boy says hugging him.

"You're welcome, Chris."


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's another one-shot! I hope you all like it and once again thank you so much for reading it. Reviews are appreciated.**

 **I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS NOR DO I OWN THE SONGS**

It was their first week back home with their little ones, their twins, their very own little co-productions.

A little girl who looked so much like her mother, just like he wanted, but she had his curls and eyes, just like Rachel wanted. Her twin however was all him. The little boy had been dubbed his mini-me, the only exception to it was his eyes, he was the only one of their three children to have his mother's eyes.

It had been different this time around. He remembers the happiness that had engulfed him when she had told him. His devotion to her throughout the pregnancy. He had actually been in the room as they were being born and got to be the first one to hold them after Rachel.

Even through all this, he loved them just as much as his oldest son.

Now he's in their nursery with Rachel trying to get the twins to sleep. He was rocking his little girl while Rachel rocked their younger son. He had missed the sight of a baby in Rachel's arms and he smiles at her and she smiles back. He softly begins to sing the song that had officially become their lullaby.

" ** _Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around,"_** he starts.

" ** _Nothing's gonna, no sir, not while I'm around_** ," she joins in.

" ** _Demons are prowling everywhere, now a days_**."

" ** _I'll send them howling. I don't care, I've got ways_** ,"

" ** _No one's gonna harm you, no one's gonna dare. Others may desert you, not to worry, whistle, I'll be there_** ," Jesse sings, making a vow to them.

" ** _Demons will charm you with a smile, for a while, but in time. Nothing can harm you, not while I'm around_** ," Rachel adds

" ** _Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around. Nothing's gonna harm you, not while I'm around_** ," they both sing, voices joining as perfectly as they've always have.

" ** _Demons are prowling everywhere, now a days_** ," Jesse sings, but notices a figure near the door, that quickly leaves.

" ** _I'll send them howling. I don't care, I've got ways_** ," she sings, not noticing what Jesse had.

" ** _No one's gonna hurt you, no one's gonna dare. Others may desert you, not to worry, whistle, I'll be there_** ," he sings a bit softer, realizing that they're both asleep or at least close to it.

" ** _Demons will charm you with a smile, for a while, but in time. Nothing can harm you, not while I'm around_** ," Rachel finishes.

Both move gently and place their children in their cribs, leaning in to give each a kiss. As their walking out the room Jesse remembers what he saw.

"Hey, why don't you go ahead to the room. I'm going to go check on Chris before we go to bed," Jesse suggests as she yawns.

"Okay," she says leaning up to kiss him. "I love you."

"Love you too," he says with a smile.

"Don't take too long alright," she says as she starts walking to their room.

"I won't," he vows.

He watches her go into their room and turns around to go into their son's room. He sees the figure in the bed, wrapped in his blankets. To the untrained eye, it would look like the boy was fast asleep, but Jesse knew him well enough to know that he wasn't. He walks over towards the bed, lays besides the boy and wraps his arms him.

"You know, if you want to learn to act better, your mom and I can put you in acting classes," he says jokingly. "I can still tell when you're not asleep," he tells him before kissing his head.

He has a feeling that he knows why Chris is awake. He still remembers the trepidation the boy had when he found out that he was going to have new siblings. The bit of reluctance to come into the hospital room to meet them or even be in their presence once they got home. His parents had warned him about possible jealousy and anger that older siblings can develop towards younger ones. He had even read books about it and was aware that given the fact that he wasn't Chris's "real" dad it may be a higher possibility.

"I heard you and mommy and…" the boy starts before his voice cracks a little.

"I know," he says softly, squeezing him a bit tighter and kissing his head.

"Did you sing to me like that too?" he asks timidly, with a slight tremble in his voice.

"Of course I did. I sang to you every night, even before you were born," he assures the boy. "And so did your mom."

"Did you sing the same song?" Chris asks again, still keeping his back towards his father.

"No, I didn't sing that one. I sang another one," Jesse admits.

"Why not the same?"

"Well, because with you I wanted you to have a lullaby that your real dad might have sung to you," he explains to him.

"How would you know?"

"Your Uncle Kurt told me about this song. He said if there was one song he would have sung to you it would have been this one," he tells his son.

"Can…can you sing to me too, please?" he begs timidly, afraid of being rejected. Jesse makes the boy turn around to face him before starting to sing.

" ** _Oh, why you look so sad? Tears are in your eyes,"_** he begins to sing wiping the few tears that are on his cheeks. **_"_** ** _Come on and come to me now. Don't be ashamed to cry. Let me see you through. 'Cause I've seen the dark side too. When the night falls on you. You don't know what to do. Nothing you confess could make me love you less. I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you. Won't let nobody hurt you. I'll stand by you_**."

Outside the room Rachel is listening, tears falling down her face, knowing that if he were still alive, Finn would have sung that song for their son. She would forever be grateful to him for giving her their son and she would always love him for it. But she is also grateful for finding a man who understood that, who loved her and loved her son just as much as he loved their own children. A man who even now continues to honor the other man's memory and makes sure that their son knows that not only did his biological father love him, but that he does as well.

" ** _So if you're mad, get mad. Don't hold it all inside. Come on and talk to me now. Hey, what you got to hide? I get angry too_** **,"** Jesse chuckles a bit at this lyric, knowing that the little boy resembled both his real father and him in the way he got angry. **"** ** _Well I'm a lot like you. When you're standing at the crossroads. Don't know which path to choose. Let me come along. 'Cause even if you're wrong. I'll stand by you; I'll stand by you. Won't let nobody hurt you. I'll stand by you. Take me in into your darkest hour. And I'll never desert you. I'll stand by you,"_** he looks directly into the boy's eyes, ** _"_** ** _And when... When the night falls on you, baby. You're feeling all alone. You won't be on your own. I'll stand by you; I'll stand by you. Won't let nobody hurt you. I'll stand by you. Take me in, into your darkest hour. And I'll never desert you. I'll stand by you_** **,** ** _I'll stand by you. Won't let nobody hurt you. I'll stand by you. And I'll never desert you. I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you. Won't let nobody hurt you. I'll stand by you_** _,"_ Jesse finishes softly, with tears in his eyes, matching those in his son's eyes and in his wife's.

"I love you, Chris," Jesse says looking into the boy's eyes. "Your mom and I love you, so much and we never ever want you to doubt that. Whatever is going on in your mind…" he says shaking his head. "if it involves us loving you less because of the babies, or not loving you at all… it's wrong okay? Because no matter what changes, no matter what happens, we both love you more than you can imagine," he says caressing his son's face.

The boy begins to sob and buries his face in his father's chest. Neither one of them hears the door opening or notice Rachel walking to the bed until she climbs on it on the other side of their son. She kisses the top of his head and runs her hand up and down his back trying to calm him and show her love. She looks up to see her husband and they both give each other small smiles, with him wiping the tears that are on her face as well.

"We love you, sweetie, we love you so, so much," Rachel whispers to the boy, who eventually begins to calm down.

As the sobs quiet down, Jesse decides to suggest something.

"How about you sleep with us tonight? Would that make you feel better?" he asks. The boy nods and both adults stand up.

Jesse bends down and picks the boy up and starts walking towards their room, with Rachel closely behind.

"You're getting quite big now buddy, soon I won't be able to do this anymore," Jesse says teasingly, causing the boy to laugh a little and hold on to him a bit tighter.

When they reach their room, Jesse places the boy on the bed as Rachel climbs in. Chris immediately moves closer to his mom and lets her hold him, as Jesse also climbs in. Rachel hums softly until Chris falls asleep. She gives his head another kiss and looks up to see Jesse softly smiling at her. She reaches over and takes his hand. She wants to talk to him, tell him what she's feeling, but knows that she can't without waking up their son. He, like always, seems to know exactly what she wants.

"Tomorrow," he whispers to her and she nods, but can't hold back from saying at least one thing.

"I love you," she whispers to him.

"I know," he whispers back with the smirk that she both hates and loves. "I love you too."

Both adults finally let exhaustion take them and join their children in sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi again. Once again I would like to thank you all for reading. I want to apologize for this chapter, I'm not really happy with it, I mostly wrote it as a way to procrastinate from doing my work. So I'm sorry.**

 **I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS (EXCEPT FOR CHRIS)**

He's walking on the stage of the auditorium. His parents are registering him into this new school, having moved back to Ohio after one of his grandfathers had a heart attack. They also told him that it was for his and his sibling's benefits. They were being recognized too easily as the children of Broadway stars Jesse St. James and Rachel Berry. He had the slight advantage of having a different last name, at least until his Dad officially adopted him. But both his parents had made up their mind that it was for the best to move here.

Throughout the years he's heard a lot of stories about this stage from his aunts and uncles, his dad, and his mom. On one of the wings of the stage he sees a few plaques one of which is a picture of his real father. He's so focused on it that he doesn't hear steps behind him.

"Excuse me. You need special permission to use the auditorium," an older man's voice says.

"Oh I…I'm sorry…I was just looking around," he stammers out.

"Hey it's alright, you're not in trouble or anything," the man says. "I see you're looking at the plaques."

"Yeah, I was," he says looking back at them.

"Sorry, what's your name?" the man asks, seeing the resemblance between the teen and the young man on the plaque.

"Oh…um my name is Stephen," he says and he sees a bit of disappointment in the man's face.

"Oh," he clears his throat, "hello Stephen, I'm Will Schuester, the principal of the school," he says holding up his hand which the teen immediately shakes.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Schuester," the teen says with a smile on his face.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else when I saw you," Will admits.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologizes.

"No, don't apologize, it was my mistake. So how come you decided to explore the auditorium?" he asks

"Um… I was thinking about joining the glee club here," the teen admits.

"Really? Do you like to sing?" he asks

"I do," he admits with a chuckle, "I'm not as talented as my siblings but I tend to hold my own."

"Well why don't show me what you got? We can count this as your audition," Will says enthusiastically.

"Okay!" he says happily.

Will walks off stage and takes a seat in the audience.

"Um… can I use the piano?" he asks timidly.

"Oh, yeah sure that's fine," Will agrees a bit disappointed at the boy's instrument choice.

When Will walked into the auditorium and saw the boy he thought for a second that he was seeing Finn, especially when standing next to the plaque. The resemblance between the two amazing. But he knew that it wasn't him but his son Chris. Then, however, the boy introduced himself as Stephen, leaving him confused as to why he used a different name. Will decided to play along. He knows that Chris knows how to play the piano, he remembers Rachel posting videos of him on the piano. But for some reason part of him still expected him to choose the drums.

"Mr. Schuester? Can I practice playing the piano first?" the teen asks.

"Of course Stephen. Can I ask what you're going to 'warm-up' with?" he asks.

"Um… it's actually my favorite song," Chris admits. "I'm not sure if I'll sing it but I like playing it."

"Okay, go ahead then," Will says with a smile.

The first notes leave Will in shock, this can't be the boy's favorite song. He expected him to like older rock/pop like his father, but Queen had never come to mind.

" ** _Mama, just killed a man. Put a gun against his head pulled my trigger, now he's dead. Mama, life had just begun but now I've gone and thrown it all away_** …" he sings softly

The teen continues to play and sing the song. He stops when the song ends and smiles up to Will.

"Okay I think I'm ready," the teen announces with a smile.

"Okay, um, before you go on. How do you know that song? I mean it's pretty old by this point," Will says with a small chuckle.

"It is, but my dad used to be a big fan of Queen so while listening to his IPod when I was younger I found it and fell in love with it," he admits.

"Alrighty then. What song are you going to audition with?" Will asks, still hoping that this boy might pick something resembling his former student.

"I'm going to audition with the song 'Johanna'," he announces surprising Will.

"Broadway?"

"Yeah," he says chuckling, "my parents are major Sondheim fans, especially my dad."

"Thus your name Stephen," Will points out and sees the boy nod. "Alright, go when you're ready."

The boy is amazing in Will's opinion. He can see the musical training he's received both in his voice and in his piano technique. He stands up and claps as he makes his way onto the stage once the boy finishes.

"That was amazing. I think I can safely say you'll be in the New Directions," Will tells him, walking towards him and sees a bright smile coming from the teen, reminding him even more of his deceased student. "Um, Stephen I have to ask, is the piano the only instrument you know?"

"Um, no. I learned to play the drums pretty well," he admits

"You know how to play the drums?" Will asks in almost mock surprise.

"Yeah. My uncles insisted that I needed to learn how to play them, especially when I showed interest in it," he explains

"Huh. Most parents don't let other family members insist that their child learns something in particular," Will points out.

"Yeah, I know. But it's one of the ways they tried to…" he says looking down and playing with his thumbs.

"Tried to what?" Will asks placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy then looks over to the plaque as does Will.

"Tried to let me to be like him," he points out. Things start to fall into place for Will. "My entire life my mom and dad have made sure that although I never met him, I wouldn't forget him. To let me know how much that man would have loved me and is in me but without pushing me. When I showed interest in drums, they never stopped me from pursuing playing them when it was something I wanted and that my uncles wanted as well," he explains.

"So you're…" Will points at the plaque and he nods.

"I have this pressure Mr. Schuester. Most people, except my parents, are so eager to see how much I'm like him," he says pointing at the plaque. "I see my aunts and uncles, my two biological grandparents, even you, look at me and expect me to be like him and for a short period of my life I did want to be like him," he admits. "But then I realized that I didn't want to be like him because I really wanted to, but because I felt that was what would make most people happy. And do you want to know when I realized this?" he asks him

"When?" Will asks feeling a bit of shame.

"When I almost lost my dad," he pauses and takes a deep steading breath, "After I yelled at him and told him he wasn't my real dad, that I wished my real dad was still alive and he wasn't, that a dead man was a better father and hero than he was," Chris admits with a trembling voice. "And the day after I said those things, they almost came true. I…I almost lost my real dad."

The teen takes his time and takes a few breaths to calm himself.

"After that I looked back and realized that in reality I wanted to be more like him, that all my life I've wanted to be not like him," pointing at the plaque, "not really, but like my dad. That I wanted to do theatre, I wanted to sing Queen, do show choir, play the piano. Yes, I know I'm Finn Hudson's son, that all of you would have loved me to be another version of him but..." he shakes his head, "I'm not. In reality I'm the son of Rachel and Jesse St. James and everyone just has to accept that."

"You're right," Will admits. "I did exactly what you said and I apologize for it, its just hard you know…"

"I know," Chris says and they hear the doors opening and someone walking in. Will sees the boy's face light up.

"Hey Dad!" he yells out and Will turns around to see the man that was his student for only a few weeks.

"Hey bud," Jesse says walking towards the stage.

"Are you and mom done?" he asks.

"Yup, you are officially a student at McKinley," Jesse announces with a smirk, while looking at Will.

"It's good to see you Jesse," Will says holding his hand out.

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Schue," Jesse says, shaking his hand.

"I just finished listening to Stephen," Will says turning to look at the teen.

"Stephen? Really?" Jesse asks his son.

"I…I knew that if I said my real name, people might know who I am," he admits, "I didn't want to be treated differently."

Jesse sighs and walks over to his son and sits next to him wrapping an arm around him.

"I know. That's why we decided to do this, to give you all a chance to just be yourselves," Jesse tells him. His boy just smiles at him.

"I know, Dad," Chris says.

"No one has to know who you are… um…" Will starts, not sure what to call him.

"Chris," he fills in. "I think you understand now why I told you that name."

"Chris then," Will sighs out. "No one has to know whose son you are," he assures the boy, talking about both his living parents and his deceased one.

"Thank you Mr. Schue," Chris says smiling.

"We better get going. We still need to get your siblings registered," Jesse says.

"Okay," Chris says standing up. "It was good to meet you Mr. Schue," he says shaking his hand.

"It was good to meet you too," Will says. "I'm looking forward to seeing you at school."

"I'm looking forward to it too," the boy says.

He makes his way out with his father, eager for his start at a new school.


	8. Chapter 8 (Part 1)

**Hi again! I know this is being posted really soon after the last chapter but I really felt bad about that last one and felt like I had to write another one to make up for it. This one is a bit different because its a bit more St. Berry focused than the other chapters, mostly because Chris hasn't been born yet, and I split it in two so the next chapter is going to more or less pick up a little after this one does. So I hope you guys like it and please review!**

 **I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS NOR DO I OWN THE SONG THAT IS SUNG.**

They've returned to McKinley to "celebrate" the end of the Glee Club. Rachel had explained to him that Sue had made it a requirement that they had to win Nationals to keep going and they had come in second place. No amount of begging was changing Sue Sylvester's mind this time.

He didn't want to come but by this point he's unable to say no to whatever Rachel wants. He knows how hard this might be for her, not only because it marked the end of something she had worked so hard for since the beginning, but because it was the first time back to Lima since the memorial. She told him she needed a friend with her, someone who wasn't really in the middle of everything.

A friend…

He knows that it shouldn't bug him, that she is still recovering from her loss, dealing with the fact that the man that she loved was gone. That the father of her child was gone.

But it does.

He still loves her, more than anything. He wishes things could have been different, that they could have been together but life has other plans. Now he's here sitting in a choir room, where he had spent the best weeks of his life, watching people go and talk to Rachel while taking the time to touch her growing stomach.

It was weird but he was starting to become a bit possessive of the little bump. Rachel had called him first thing when it had appeared and they had both admired it for most of the day, with Kurt finding them sitting on the couch, his hand unconsciously on the bump. She had also asked him to join her for her last ultrasound and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't emotional during it.

He's brought out of his thoughts when he feels her sit next to him and take his hand. He realizes that Mr. Schuester has arrived and is talking. He faintly hears him saying something about redoing favorite songs followed by the arrival of… he didn't care about her name. He enjoys watching Rachel being happy, letting her guard down, and enjoying the fact that she's surrounded by her teammates. The days pass by and Schuester decides to sing a song with… April that's what her name was.

As the song starts, he recognizes it and, if her sudden tension is anything to go by, so does Rachel. What was Schuester thinking?! Did he not realize the memories this song brings back, what this song originally meant for Rachel and for him, how this would affect them both?! Without even thinking he reaches over and takes her hand which she eagerly holds and squeezes.

" ** _Turn around_** ," Will starts out singing and as Rachel remembers who sang this line originally winces.

" ** _Every now and then, I get a little bit lonely, and you're never coming round_** ," April sings back to Will

" ** _Turn around_**."

" ** _Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears_**."

" ** _Turn around_** ," Rachel squeezes Jesse's hand even more when Will sings this line, surprising him a bit.

" ** _Every now and then I get a little bit nervous That the best of all the years have gone by_**."

" ** _Turn around_**."

" ** _Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes_**."

" ** _Turn Around, bright eyes_** ," Will sings and Jesse looks over at Rachel and sees her eyes beginning to tear up.

" ** _Every now and then I fall apart_**."

" ** _Turn Around, bright eyes_**."

" ** _Every now and then I fall apart_** ," April sings, right before she starts singing together with Will.

" ** _And I need you now tonight (And I need you more than ever) And if you only hold me tight (We'll be holding on forever) And we'll only be making it right ('Cause we'll never be wrong) (Together...) we can take it to the end of the line (Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time) (New Directions: All of the time_** )"

" ** _I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark. We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks I really need you tonight. Forever's gonna start tonight (April: Forever's gonna start tonight)_** "

 **"** ** _Once upon a time, I was falling in love_** ," Will sings and Jesse realizes that Rachel is close to losing it.

" ** _But now I'm only falling apart. There's nothing I can do, A total eclipse of the heart_** ," both Will and April sing.

Suddenly Jesse sees Rachel stand up and leave the room. Without even debating it for a second he follows her, not noticing some of the others preparing to do the same but being stopped by Kurt. He sees her walking quickly down the hallway and decides to express himself the best way they know.

" ** _Turn around, bright eyes_** ," he sings to her, just like he had the last time. He sees her freeze and hears her response.

" ** _Every now and then I fall apart_** ," she sings back understanding what he's trying to do.

" ** _Turn around, bright eyes_** ," he sings, almost begging, as he walks towards her. This time she listens and turns around. He sees those bright brown eyes, shimmering with tears, the brown eyes that he's fallen in love with and that he can see are begging for some comfort.

 **"** ** _Every now and then I fall apart. And I need you now tonight_** ( ** _And I need you_** ) **_And I need you more than ever_** ," the both sing now standing face to face. "( **Rachel** ** _:_** **** ** _And if you only hold me tight_** ) ( **Jesse:** **_Hold me tight_** )," Jesse wraps his arms around her as she does the same thing, needing his support and letting out her emotions. " ** _We'll be holding on forever and we'll only be making it right. 'Cause we'll never be wrong_** ," Jesse wipes away a few of her tears.

" ** _Together we can take it to the end of the line_** ** _._** ** _Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time (All of the time)_** ," Jesse sings to her, looking into her eyes, deciding to show the emotions he denied her seeing last time they sang this song.

" ** _I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark_** ," she sings back to him, letting him know how confused she still is, that she still needs time.

" ** _We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks_** ," they both sing, accepting that, even though they're not in a position to act upon this, the spark between them, the chemistry, the connection is there.

" ** _I really need you tonight. Forever's gonna start tonight_** ( **Rachel:** **_Forever's gonna start tonight_** )" they both sing, admitting that they both need each other, that something has changed after this.

" ** _Once upon a time. I was falling in love_** ," she sings to him, admitting that she truly did have feelings for him at one point.

" ** _But now I'm only falling apart_** ," Jesse caresses her face with his thumb as they both sing. " ** _There's nothing I can do. A total eclipse of the heart. A total eclipse of the heart_**."

" ** _A total eclipse of the heart_** ," she sings as he holds her.

" ** _Turn around bright eyes_** ," he sings in a near whisper into her ear.

They stay in silence for a while, both finding comfort with each other.

"Just give me time," he hears her say within their embrace. He pulls back and wipes the few tears that are still on her cheeks with his thumb.

"Shh. Don't worry about that. All you should worry about is you and that little baby in there, alright? Don't worry about me," he says, giving her a small smile.

"Jesse…" she says with a bit of trepidation.

"I'll be okay," he reassures her but before she can argue they hear someone walking towards them, effectively ending their conversation.


	9. Chapter 9 (aka Part 2)

**Hi again! Here's part two, still St. Berry centric and I hope you all enjoy it. Also if you guys have suggestions about a scenario that I should write about or something I can do differently I'd welcome them and see what I can do.**

 **DO NOT OWN CHARACTERS**

For the rest of the week, Jesse makes sure to avoid the topic with her. He doesn't perform a song for everyone, he takes his duet with Rachel as his own personal performance. When Will hangs the plaques in the wings of the stage, Jesse lets them all have their moment, only going in when everyone else has left. He stands right in front of the plaques, staring at the one with Finn's picture on it, chuckling a bit at the quote on it.

"I know you and I didn't…" he pauses a bit, "I was going to say you and I didn't like each other but that's an understatement. We absolutely hated each other's guts," he says laughing. "And we hated each other for the same reason: Neither of us thought the other was worthy of Rachel and I'm pretty sure we both came to the same conclusion that neither of us really was," he says looking up at the plaque.

"I know you loved her. And as much as it hurts me to say it she loved you too. I don't know what's going to happen between me and her, tomorrow she might end up breaking all ties with me for all I know. But…" he takes a deep breath, "I promise to do everything I can to make sure she's happy, no matter what that entails because I love her just as much as you did and believe it or not I'm starting to love your child too," he admits to the plaque.

"And if for some miraculous reason she lets me stay in her life, no matter how that is, I'll take care of them. I'll be there for them. I'll be whatever they need me to be. And I promise that I won't try to take your place in your child's life, I won't go seeking to be his or her father," he vows.

"But if one day that child views me like that then I can't really do anything about that can I? Especially considering how stubborn both you and Rachel are," he adds with a bit of laughter.

She's been looking for him for a while and finally decides to look in the auditorium. She's shocked to see him appearing to be talking to the plaque with Finn's. She's too far away to actually hear what he's saying but as she walks closer he turns around to see her.

"Hey, what are you doing back here?" she asks.

"Just came to see where you guys hung them up," he explains clearing his throat. "I know how much this meant for you guys."

"You could have been here when we hung them," she says taking his hand. She actually wished he had been there. She's been depending on his support for a while now that it was hard not to have it at that moment.

"I know but I wanted to give you all your space. I had… have no business being here," he says looking at their joined hands and she copies.

"That's not true, you're here with me," she tells him, both looking up. "I…I know this is hard for you…"

"Don't Rachel. I told you the other day, don't worry about me. Just worry about you and this little one," he says placing a hand on her bump. "Speaking of, how has the little person behaved today?" he asks trying to change the subject.

"Fine, not giving mommy issues today," she says and sees the smile that comes on his features as he looks where her child is growing. Not for the first time has the thought of how good of a father Jesse would make, how much he would probably love his child if he has one. She's almost tempted to give in and drop the subject, just to keep this look of happiness on his face but she knows this talk has to happen. "We need to talk about this, Jesse," she tells him.

He removes his hand from her bump and sighs. He walks towards the lip of the stage and just sits down, staring towards the audience. Rachel at a much slower rate sits down next to him and places her hand on top of his.

"I know this is hard for you Jesse, especially with me living with you after the whole Santana issue. If me moving out would make it easier…" she starts

"No," he interrupts. "I don't mind you living with me I actually like it, having you there. Even if it isn't the way I wish it was," he says the last part barely above a whisper.

She knows how he wishes it was and she'd be lying if part of her didn't wish it too. He had been the support that she needed since they ran into each other. She had actually been in touch with him before getting pregnant, texting each other, emailing each other, but it wasn't until Finn's death that they ran into each other again. Since then he had been with her through it all, the breakdowns when she heard certain songs, the morning sickness, the doctor's appointments, and since she moved in, the nightmares. She was grateful, she really was, but she knows that what she's feeling isn't just that, it's more like the feeling she got when he lowered the Lionel Richie song book, when they sang in her room and kissed for the first time, and when returned and went to prom with her.

"I just need you to give me some time," she repeats, placing the palm of her hand on his cheek and making him look at her. She's starting to feel the same way he does but is not ready to act on those feelings. Not yet.

"I know," he says kissing her palm. "And I'm willing to wait but…"

"But what?" she asks confused.

"But I need you to tell me that I'm not getting my hopes up," he begs. Rachel seeing a vulnerability that she has never seen before. "I love you Rachel. We both know that. And I can live the rest of my life with that and be content with being your friend, being a co-worker or whatever you want me to be. But I don't think I'd be able to handle another Nationals situation. I can't get my hopes up and then have everything come crashing down again, I…I can't be another rebound," Jesse explains.

For the first time ever, Rachel is seeing a completely open and vulnerable Jesse St. James. She blames herself for the self-doubt and hurt she sees in his eyes. She did use him, more so the second time and she knows that she shouldn't have. But she's not going to do that this time. When she is finally able to move on, she knows it will be for good, that she won't hurt him again. She needs him to understand that and she can only think of one way to show him.

She leans in and kisses him.

It takes him by surprise, she can tell. It takes him a while before he starts kissing her back and after a few moments she pulls away and smiles at seeing the happiness, reserved yes, but happiness on his face.

"You won't be. When I'm ready you won't be a rebound, being with you would be for good this time. If you'll have me," she says so softly barely above a whisper. She looks down at her growing abdomen and takes his hand, placing it on it. "If you'll have us. I just really need time."

She sees him smiling before he leans down to kiss her bump and comes back up to kiss her forehead.

"I'll take both of you," he assures her. "I've become a patient man Rachel; I'll wait as long as you need even if its months or years for now but I'll wait."

They both smile at each other and with a soften face he speaks.

"I love you," he says.

"I know," she says back.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi again! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update but I was in finals week and am finally home after graduation. I began to write this during one of my study breaks in finals week and now that I've finally gotten back to it I lost a bit of inspiration towards the end of it. Hopefully you all like it and I'll post another chapter soon.**

He wakes up early Sunday morning to get everything ready.

He's careful not to wake his sleeping wife as he gets out of bed and heads towards his children's rooms. He peeks into his oldest son's room and sees him getting ready as they had agreed and makes his way to the nursery to get his other two children ready.

They're awake when he looks into their cribs, the complete opposite of Chris, who would sleep late into the morning. These two are morning birds who tend to wake up even before he or Rachel do.

"Good morning, you two," he says softly before leaning in to kiss their little heads. "It's a special day today and we need to get you ready," he tells them as he lifts his son out of the crib to get him ready first.

He quickly changes his little boy's diaper and gets the special clothes he's bought on him. He hears the door opening and sees Chris sneaking in.

"Do you need help Daddy?" Chris asks softly.

"I think I might. Can you hand me the carrier?" Jesse asks and the boy runs over to the baby carrier.

When Rachel had first shown him the carrier he had thought it looked ridiculous, but he has now come to understand the benefits of being able to hold both twins and have his hands free. He's actually gotten quite good at using it.

"Here you go," Chris says proudly.

"Thank you," Jesse says taking the carrier and kissing his son's head.

The boy's character had changed after the accident. He and Rachel had even taken him to a therapist to see if he had been left traumatized by the whole situation. But after a session or two she had said Chris was perfectly fine.

"Can you make sure he doesn't fall off while I put this on?" he asks.

"Yeah!" Chris says excitedly.

As he puts on the carrier, he watches Chris bonding with his brother, making funny faces and talking in an almost cooing voice. He had never shown any hostility towards the twins but he did show avoidance of them, especially of his brother in the beginning. Now they're all almost inseparable and it makes him smile.

"Okay, let's get you on buddy," Jesse coos at his youngest son and slowly places him on his back secures him into place. "Okay sweetie, now we have to get you ready," he says as he reaches down to pick up his little girl.

He quickly gets her dressed and can't help but smile as he sees his wife in the way she smiles back at him. He secures her to his front and makes sure all the baby supplies are loaded up.

"Alright, the note is on my pillow, all three of you are ready… I think we can head out," he tells Chris.

They quietly make their way out of their home to start their shopping for that day's dinner.

An hour or so later, Rachel begins to wake, feeling towards her husband's side of the bed only to find it empty. She opens her eyes and sees a note on his pillow. A smile slowly forms on her face as she opens it and begins.

 _Hello Love,_

 _I want to begin this letter by thanking you for being such an amazing mother to all three of our children. You are the best mother I could have asked for all of my children and I will forever be in debt with you. Not only have you given me our beloved twins but also the honor of being the father to a wonderful little boy. Chris and I planned all this out and to begin your first mother's day as a mother of not just one but three children, we've decided to send you to the spa. We've both taken the twins out to prepare for your dinner later today but we want you first to have some alone relaxation time, which you haven't gotten much of with everything that has happened. You deserve this more than anyone love and I hope you enjoy your day off._

 _Love,_

 _Jesse_

She can't fight the bit of tearing up that she has or the bright smile on her face. She recalls how every mother's day since Chris was born Jesse has done something to make sure she felt special and, as he grew up, made sure Chris really understood what this day meant for her.

Apparently he planned to do the same for the twins.

She catches sight of a spa certificate and an appointment card in about an hour, causing her to smile even more.

She's heading home after her day of relaxation. During her Spa Day, her fans had sent her pictures of Jesse holding the twins with Chris by his side as they made their way through the city. She couldn't help but smile and show those around her the pictures.

As she walks in she can smell her favorite dinner in the air and sees all the flowers that have been bought for her. Soft music is playing in the background; a composition Jesse had written for her.

"Happy Mother's Day!" she hears her oldest exclaim as he rushes to hug her. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too, sweetie. So much," she says to him as she holds him.

Tears begin to build in her eyes as memories of her first Mother's Day come to mind. Jesse bringing her breakfast in bed with Chris dressed up in one of the cutest onesies she had ever seen. She had loved spending her entire day with her two boys and is now excited for spending the rest of the afternoon with her family.

"Come on Chris, you're almost done and you need to finish before we can start dinner," her husband tells their son, as he walks out of the kitchen.

"Okay, Daddy!" Chris says happily, kissing Rachel's cheek before heading back to the kitchen.

Jesse walks over towards his wife smiling brightly.

"Happy Mother's Day, Rach," he says softly before leaning down to kiss her.

"Thank you for all this," Rachel tells him once the kiss ends, causing him to laugh.

"You don't even know what it is and you're already thanking me," he chuckles out before holding her close. "No, Rach, there's no reason for you to thank me," he says. "As I said in my letter, you deserve this and more for being the best mother I could have asked for my children. If anything this is my and the children's thanks to you."

"I love you," she tells him.

"I love you too, more than you'll ever know," he tells her. She kisses him one more time before something comes to mind.

"I swear to God if you got the twins matching outfits like the one you got for Chris, you might be the best husband in the world," she exclaims upon breaking the kiss.

"I might have gotten the twins matching outfits," Jesse admits laughing at his wife's amusement.

"Oh my God, I have to see them!" she squeals pushing past Jesse to go to the nursery.

Jesse just laughs some more at his wife and follows her to enjoy the rest of the day together.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello Again! This is going to be another two-part chapter and I'll post the other one as soon as I finish it. Thanks again for reading and please leave reviews they are highly appreciated.**

It's their first time back to Lima after the closing of the Glee club at McKinley. Rachel had insisted that they had to spend the holidays with her fathers, instead of making them fly over to New York, like they had for Thanksgiving and the beginning of Chanukah.

One of the reasons for that insistence was that neither the Hudson-Hummel's nor the St. James's had seen Chris in person since he was born in late October and they had all been demanding to see the little boy. Their overall plan was to visit both those families and spend time with them during their time there, especially during Christmas and New Year's.

For now, however, the official plan was for him to take care of the baby while Rachel went out.

It wasn't hard per say. It wasn't his first time taking care of the little boy by himself, if anything he had become quite good of doing so after Rachel returned to rehearsals for Funny Girl. The nervousness he was feeling wasn't due to the little boy currently laying on his chest but due to the fact that he was awaiting the arrival of the Berry men to ask them a very important question.

The real plan was to take care of the baby AND ask both Berry men for their blessings to ask Rachel to marry him.

He's been considering this since high school if he's being completely honest. But it wasn't until they started officially dating again a few weeks following their talk on the stage of McKinley that the thought came to the forefront of this mind again. He knows it might be too soon to be even thinking or considering this but he can't fight the feeling that its right to do this.

"So what do you think, buddy? Do you think your grandfathers would be okay with me marrying your mommy?" he asks the little boy, while gently rubbing his back.

Upon hearing his voice, the little boy attempts to lift his head to look at Jesse. He manages to keep his head up for a short time before laying it back down on Jesse's chest, causing the young man to laugh.

"You're getting better at that, buddy," he says, kissing the little boy's head. "Soon you'll be able to hold it up for as long as you want," he coos at the little boy before sighing. "I know you and I have a deal and that you've pretty much been okay with me being with your mommy," he says softly to the little boy. "But I'm nervous about what your grandfathers might say, what your aunts and uncles might say, and most importantly what your mommy might say," he confesses to the baby before sighing again. "Maybe I'm jumping the shark and I should wait longer but to be completely honest there's nothing I want more than to marry your mommy, to make us an official family even if you aren't really mine."

He's startled by the sound of the front door unlocking and opening, followed by the sound of footsteps coming towards the living room.

"Good afternoon, Jesse," Leroy says to him as he walks into the living room.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Berry," Jesse says back, gently sitting up and making sure to have a good hold on Chris.

"I thought we had moved past the whole Mr. Berry's phase, son," Leroy says chuckling.

"Sorry sir, I guess old habits die hard," Jesse says with a bit of a laugh. "But to be completely honest I'm still not sure I deserve to call you anything but," he admits.

"Nonsense, Jesse," Hiram says walking into the room. "You've done plenty to deserve to call us by our first names."

Jesse just smiles at the men and withholds his thoughts.

"How has our grandson behaved today?" Leroy asks sitting down next to him and caressing the baby's back.

"He's been amazing," Jesse says laughing at the boy's second attempt to lift his head. "He tends to behave when it's just me and him."

"So I'm guessing it's only with everyone else that he has issues with," Hiram says also laughing.

"I guess so," Jesse agrees.

They all watch as the little boy slowly falls asleep. Jesse decides that this is the best time to do this. To ask the question. He takes a deep breath, stands up, and gently places the little boy in his carrier, kissing his little head.

"Mr. Berry's, I would like to talk to you both about something," he says standing in front of them.

"What is it Jesse, you seem a bit nervous?" Hiram asks, a bit concerned and confused.

"It's about Rachel," Jesse starts.

"What about her?" Leroy asks.

"I…I wanted to ask you both for permission to marry her," he tells them and sees the shock in both men's faces. "I know this might be too soon and I'm not exactly sure when I'll even ask her bur I really didn't want to pass up this opportunity to have you both hear and not have her around to hear me."

"Jesse… we really weren't expecting this," Leroy is the first to speak.

"I know sir, but I really love your daughter and that little boy sleeping right there more than anything. There's nothing more I would want than to make them my family," Jesse explains and he sees the understanding in both men's eyes.

"We know Jesse. We've seen it since you were first introduced to us. You may not have realized it at the time but you had it, the same look you have now every time you look at Rachel," Hiram points out, causing them all to smile.

"I've always loved her, I may have messed up and I paid dearly for that mistake, but now that I have her back… I don't want to let her go again," Jesse admits to them both. He watches as both men appear to have a silent conversation with each other, before they turn to look at him.

"You do understand that we have no idea how Rachel may react if you ask her," Leroy asks.

"Yes, I do," Jesse assures them.

"Well Jesse, I think I can safely say that you have both Leroy's and my blessing to ask our daughter to marry you," Hiram says with a smile. Jesse immediately smiles and hugs both men.

"Thank you both so much," he mumbles.

"Just promise to take care of them and make them happy," Hiram tells him.

"I promise. For as long as I live that will be my priority," Jesse vows.

"Welcome to the family, son," Leroy adds hugging him.

"Thank you," Jesse says back.

"Now, I don't know about you all but if we don't start making dinner and acting normal, Rachel will notice something's off as soon as gets home," Hiram points out.

"You are completely right Hiram," Leroy says making his way to the kitchen.

"Do you need any help?" Jesse offers.

"We just might. Just bring the baby and you can help Leroy and I," Hiram says.

They all make their way to the kitchen and begin making dinner. When Rachel arrives she can tell there is a difference in the relationship between her dads and Jesse but decides to ignore it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello Again! Sorry for not updating in a while but moving back home has kept me busy and unable to update or write as much as I want. Hopefully my next update won't take that long. Thanks again for reading and please review.**

It's Christmas Eve and Rachel and Jesse are alone in the Berry household with Chris. Both men had business parties to attend to and they didn't have plans to meet with any family until the next day. So they are all in the living room enjoying each other's company.

Jesse has been contemplating when a good time to ask Rachel might be but each time he's believed he's found a moment he's stopped himself.

"Hey," he hears her say, as she takes a seat next to him, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he asks giving her a small smile.

"I don't know, for the past few days you've been off," she points out, holding his hand

"I'm sorry. I've just been over thinking," he explains, taking her hand and kissing it.

Before she can ask him about what, they are interrupted by a small yawning sound, causing them both to smile.

"I think our little buddy is ready to go to sleep," Jesse points out, smiling.

Rachel leans down and picks up her son. She kisses him nonstop with the baby overjoyed with the attention and love he's receiving from his mommy. Jesse can't help but smile at the family he's been lucky enough to be a part of.

"Maybe a small lullaby will get him to go to sleep," Rachel coos, "then you and I can have some alone time," she says to Jesse with a small smirk.

"Well Miss Berry, lullabies for this little guy," he says leaning in to give him a gentle kiss, "have recently become my specialty."

He stands up and carefully leads them to the piano that the Berry's still have in their living room. As they sit on the bench, Jesse leans over to talk to Chris.

"Okay buddy, this song is actually the first song your mommy and I sang together," he explains, surprising Rachel with the fact that he actually remembers. "I know she might have more important and significant songs that she might share with you but I don't think there's one more important to me than this one," he says as he begins to play the introduction of the song.

Rachel looks down at her son, unable to look at Jesse. She can't fight the guilt she feels at knowing that her own actions have caused him to be this insecure, to think the way he does. This song is just as important to her as any she ever sung with Finn, if not a bit more given the fact that it was the first song she sung with the man she now loves.

 _"_ _ **I've been alone with you inside my mind, and in my dreams I've kissed your lips a thousand times. I sometimes see you pass outside my door. Hello, is it me you're looking for?**_ " she hears him begin to sing. Without missing a beat she joins him exactly the same way she did years ago.

" ** _I can see it in your eyes. I can see it in your smile. You're all I've ever wanted. And my arms are open wide_** _,"_ they both sing and she looks up looking into his eyes, letting him know that she truly means it. _"'_ _ **Cause you know just what to say. And you know just what to do. And I want to tell you so much, I love you…**_ _"_ they both sing, turning their attention to the little boy in her arms.

" ** _Oh yeah_** **,** " Rachel sings

" ** _I long to see the sunlight in your hair_** **,** " Jesse sings smiling at the resistance the baby appears to be putting up

" ** _And tell you time and time again how much I care_** ," Rachel sings caressing Chris' cheek.

" ** _Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow. Hello, I've just got to let you know. 'Cause I wonder where you are. And I wonder what you do. Are you somewhere feeling lonely, or is someone loving you? Tell me how to win your heart. For I haven't got a clue. But let me start by saying, I love you... Is it me you're looking for? 'Cause I wonder where you are_** _,"_ they both sing together, watching the boy finally succumb to sleep.

" ** _And I wonder what you do (Rachel: Wonder what you do) Are you somewhere_** ," Jesse sings, watching Rachel place Chris into pen.

" ** _Feeling lonely, or is someone loving you? Tell me how to win your heart. For I haven't got a clue. But let me start by saying, I love you.._** **.** "

This is it.

Upon seeing the sight of the woman that he loves and the baby he's come to love, he knows that this is the moment he's been waiting for. He can't imagine not seeing this sight for the rest of his life, not only with Chris, but with any other child they may have together. He can't imagine letting either one of them go and not being part of this little family.

He's finally going to ask her.

As she sits back up, Rachel reaches for Jesse's hand on the piano but instead finds a little black box lying on the keys. She is left speechless as she stares at the box.

"I…I," she hears Jesse start and looks at him.

"I know this is unexpected, that I might really, really be getting ahead of myself, but…" he says finally looking over at her. "I really love you Rachel. I love you so much that I can't imagine my life without you now," he explains.

She can see that he's nervous, terrified to be exact, but she knows that he loves her and that she loves him. It might sound crazy or actually might be crazy but she might already have her answer before he even asks.

"I know that when you imagined someone asking you this again you had a different man in mind. A man you had already said yes to. The man you had that beautiful baby boy with," he begins, looking over to the baby, sleeping peacefully in his pen, unaware of that going on around him. He can't help but smile as he looks at the sleeping child before looking at her again.

"I know I'm not your first choice, Rach," he adds making her look at him again. He sees her about to say something but he continues before she can. "I'm not, and I've learned to just accept it," he says with sadness and acceptance, gently caressing her cheek.

"But I want you to know that you've always been and will always be my first and only choice, Rach. You've been it since we sang our song in that music store, actually, since I saw you sing Barbra at those sectionals. And after I hurt you the way I did... I never imagined getting the opportunity to do this, but now that I do I'm seizing it," he says as he takes the box and opens it, revealing the ring.

"I promise to make you the happiest that I can make you. To help whatever dreams you have come true and be with you every step of the way," he begins, turning to look at the little boy, "I want to help you raise Chris, to form a family with you, to be the best father figure I can be for him and be the best dad to any children we may have," smiling softly at her. She smiles at the idea of having children with Jesse.

"I promise to be the best partner for you, the best friend you may need, the husband you deserve. Because after what you've been through and having to be settled with me," he pauses takin a shaky breath, "you deserve nothing less than the best from me."

By the end of his speech, Rachel can no longer hold back her tears and launches herself into his arms holding him as tight as she can, trying to convey how much she truly loves him through the embrace.

"I love you," she says with a tearful voice, "I love you so much and I don't want you to ever think that I'm settling with you," she pulls away and gently caresses his cheek. "You're not what you're selling yourself to be. I love you. You've made it possible for me to move on, to love you as much or maybe even more than I had ever loved anyone before," she adds laughing a bit, "And I had my answer even before you began speaking, all you need to do is ask."

She watches as what she said sets in and he realizes what she's saying. His face completely transforms and the doubt, fear, and sadness it once held disappear, and complete happiness and joy take their place. He gets off the piano bench, taking the box in his hand and gets down on one knee in front of her, with one of the brightest smiles she has ever seen.

"In that case," he says with a chuckle, "Rachel Barbra Berry, will you marry me?" he asks.

"Yes!" she exclaims, letting him put the ring on her finger, before once again launching herself at him, and kissing him with all the love she can.

"I love you," he says, when the kiss breaks.

"I love you too."

And he knows that she really does.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi! I'm sorry for not updating sooner but I just got a new job and I'm getting used to the new schedule and new living arangements. The next update won't take too long because I have two or three new chapters in the works already. Thanks again for reading and please review!**

She probably should have done this sooner, she had been desperately trying to juggle everything and she can't do it anymore. She stretched herself out too thin and something had to give out, she's just really upset that this is what has to go.

"Ms. Berry, Madame Tibideaux will see you now," the dean's secretary announces.

She feels her hand being squeezed.

"Hey," she hears Jesse say, making her look at him, "it's going to be okay. She'll understand."

"I hope you're right," she sighs, standing up.

"When aren't I?" he says with a smirk.

"Why did I agree to marry you?" she teases.

"Because you love me and I love you. Now go in there and talk with her," he says unable to stand up due to the infant against his chest.

She kisses him and her little boy's head before walking into the dean's office. She sees her working on something and takes a deep breath before addressing her.

"Madame Tibideaux," she says, causing the dean to look up from her work.

"Ah, Miss Berry, please have a seat," she says gesturing the seat in front of her desk. Rachel slowly makes her way across the room and takes a seat in front of the dean of NYADA. "I had been expecting this meeting to occur for a while now."

"I know Madame. I…I just wanted to keep this up so much, to balance everything, but I just can't anymore," she begins explaining.

"I understand Miss Berry. Balancing out your studies, the stage and motherhood is not something that can be easily accomplished which is why you're here I'm assuming," Carmen begins, giving Rachel the opportunity to say why she's there.

"I've come here to inform you that I want… well it's more like I have to leave NYADA," Rachel says.

"That's what I thought and I understand, I really do. But I also need you to understand that I gave you a second chance when I went to listen to you at your Nationals Miss Berry and as you know I don't usually give those out to people and you weren't going to be the exception, even after your performance. However, there was a young man who came to me towards the end of the competition who helped change my mind. Are you absolutely sure you want to give up the opportunity that was given to you?" Carmen asks.

"Um… yes… I mean I wish I didn't have to but it's the only choice I have right now," Rachel explains, trying to ignore the urge to ask about the young man Carmen was speaking of, but deep down she had a suspicion on who that was.

"Very well then," Carmen says standing up with Rachel following her lead. "It was good to have you as a student Miss Berry."

"It was an honor to have been a student here at NYADA," Rachel says shaking her hand.

They both start walking towards the door.

"If you ever need a recommendation of any kind you can count on me for it," Carmen assures her, as they open the door.

"Thank you so much Madame Tibideaux," she says. Both women are brought out of their conversation by the sound of a baby's laughter. Both women turn to see Jesse making the baby laugh, having not noticed both women coming out of the office.

"Mr. St. James," Carmen says, drawing the attention of the young man away from the baby. "I didn't expect to see you again."

"Madame Tibideaux," he says carefully standing up and adjusting his hold on the baby. "To be honest neither had I," he admits, shaking her hand.

"I didn't know you and Miss Berry were together otherwise that would have explained you talking to me at Nationals," Carmen says.

"Actually us being together is only recent," he explains.

"So the little boy you're holding," Carmen begins to ask.

"Only Rachel's," he clarifies, "but I love the little guy nonetheless."

"I see. May I?" Carmen says asking to hold the baby.

"Of course," Rachel says pushing down the emotions she has at finding out that her suspicion had been correct and letting Jesse hand Chris over to Carmen.

Chris simply smiles at the dean as she holds him.

"He's adorable Rachel," Carmen says.

"Thank you, Madame," she says, receiving her son.

"I'm assuming as a couple you must have discussed her leaving NYADA?" Carmen asks Jesse as quietly as she can, as Rachel puts the little boy in his carrier.

"We did and I gave her my opinion but in the end it was her decision to make and I would support whatever she decided," he explains to her.

"It seems your talk with me was in vain Mr. St. James," Carmen points out.

"No, not in vain. It got Rachel to New York, the place where she belongs. That alone made that talk worth it," Jesse counters.

Rachel finishes up, trying to pretend she didn't hear the conversation between the dean and Jesse. She's surprised to see a gentle smile form on the dean's face.

"Very well, it was good to see you again, Rachel, I hope to see you on your opening night," Carmen says. Rachel nods and the dean walks back into her office. As the little family makes its way off campus, Rachel can't hold back her curiosity.

"Jesse?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you do it?" she asks.

"Do what?" he asks

"Talk to Carmen? We weren't even together, I had hurt you, there was no reason for you to do that," she starts ranting before he stops and cuts her off with a kiss.

"Because it was your dream… to make it up to you… to keep my promise to make all your dreams come true…" he lists off, "but most of all I still loved you even though you weren't mine nor were you ever going to be mine at the time," he clarifies. "In a way it was my redemption. Helping you get to New York to start the inevitability that was your career…that was what I needed to help me move on, to no longer blame myself for everything that happened between us. It was my final way to show myself that I really did love you and that that love had made me a better person."

She can't help but kiss him with everything she has at that moment. To show her gratitude for what he had done. Because of him she was in New York fulfilling her dreams and she wanted him to know that it wasn't in vain, that although she was giving up the opportunity he had given her she would be forever in his debt for it.

"Thank you," she breathlessly sighs when the kiss ends.

"It was my honor. Just make sure to not let me down," he jokingly responds to her, before they make their way back home


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi Again! I finished this part of the chapter faster than I expected and once I finish the other part I'll post that. Hopefully you'll like it and please review.**

It had been weeks since the argument.

The argument that ended everything between them, that had brought her and their… no **her** son (she had unfortunately emphasized that fact to him that day) back to Lima.

How the argument had started, she can't remember now, the details have all become blurry. Now she can only remember the hurtful things that were said, the hurt and anger in her then fiancé's eyes, and the ring that is now missing from her hand that was returned to him (more like thrown at him). She has tried her best to erase these things from her mind but Chris has made it impossible.

Although he has no relation to _him_ (she can't even say his name), the little boy does nothing but remind her of the man. Chris had picked up the mannerisms, the way of speaking, the need to play the piano, but above all he had learned to make that smirk that she had both hated and loved. But that's not even the worst part.

Even after weeks, he still cries for his "daddy".

How do you explain to a little boy that the man that has raised him, loved him and that he was allowed to call "daddy" isn't really his father? They had talked about when a good time to tell him the truth would be and they had thought he was still way too young to be told that. So instead of telling her son the truth, she just holds him as he cries. And to be completely honest, she's joined him in crying at times.

Her tears weren't just shed with her son, they also ran when the nightmares came.

Ever since Finn's death she has suffered from nightmares. Kurt and Santana tried helping her at first but they soon learned to try to ignore her screams and sobs. It wasn't until she moved in with _him_ that they began to stop. She would wake up and he would hold and comfort her until she fell asleep again. Eventually, just the simple knowledge of his presence was enough for the nightmares to leave. But now _he_ wasn't here to stop them.

She would have the "regular" nightmares, relive Finn's death and funeral. But now the nightmares included _him_. On a good night she would just relive the argument. However most likely than not she would dream about getting a similar phone call informing her that he was gone or see him laying in a coffin. On those nights she would wake up looking for him only to remember that he wasn't there and that no one was going to reassure her that everything was going to be alright or to tell her how much he loved her.

It's during those times that she wishes he would have followed her, that he would just show up, they would forgive each other and return to New York as a family. But after weeks she's lost hope of that happening and tries to find ways to occupy her day.

She's been working on restarting the Glee Club at McKinley with Kurt's help and that's been helping her with things. It has also given her opportunities such as these to let her emotions out through song with the help of the band. She's alone in the auditorium with Chris sleeping on one of the seats when she gives Brad a nod to begin playing.

" ** _I know there's something in the wake of your smile. I get a notion from the look in your eyes. Yeah. You built a love, and that love falls apart. Your little piece of heaven, turns to dark. Listen to your heart, when he's calling for you. Listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do. I don't know where you're going and I don't know why, but listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye_** _,"_ she begins to sing.

Suddenly from the back of the auditorium she hears a voice begin to sing, reminding her of a time the same voice had previously interrupted her singing.

" ** _Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile. The precious moments are all lost in the tide,"_** she sees him sing, walking down towards the stage.

He looks tired, like he hasn't slept well in a while and his hair has been cut short. She can see the emotions in his face and wonders if hers are also on hers. They both feel the truth behind these words and she can't hold back the urge to join her voice with his.

" ** _They're swept away but nothing is what it seems_** ,"

" ** _The feeling of belonging_** ,"

" ** _Belonging to your dreams_** ,"

" ** _Listen to your heart, when he's calling for you. Listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do. I don't know where you're going and I don't know why, but listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye_** ,"

He makes his way towards her standing only a few feet away. She can tell that he's letting it all out, that he really is trying to get her to understand what he's feeling, and she can't help but do the same. With tears filling her eyes, she can't help but continue to join him.

 ** _"_** ** _And there are voices that want to be heard. So much to mention but you can't find the words_** ," they both sing as he places his hand gently on her cheek, seeming to wonder if she's real.

" ** _A sense of magic, the beauty that's been_** ," she sings, feeling the current that has always existed between them go through her with the simple touch.

" ** _Beauty that's been_** ," he echoes.

" ** _When love was wilder than the wind_** ,"

" ** _Listen to your heart, when he's calling for you. Listen to your heart (listen to your heart), there's nothing else you can do. I don't know where you're going and I don't know why_** ," she can see a glint in his eye and she knows she has to step up her game and rise to his challenge.

" ** _But listen to your heart_** ,"

" ** _Listen to your heart_** ,"

" ** _Before, oh, listen to your heart_** ," they both sing out, not noticing the little boy in the audience beginning to stir.

" ** _Listen to your heart_** ," he sings

" ** _Take a listen to it_** ," she sings

" ** _Whoa, I don't know where you're going and I don't know why. But listen to your heart before you tell him goodbye_** ," they both finish softly. The band all leave, realizing this was something private.

"Jesse," she says for the first time in weeks barely above a whisper.

"Rachel," he says back equally as soft.

"What... what are you doing here?" she asks.

"I came to get my family back," he answers.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi again. Here's the next chapter! As I have explained in my other story, the idea for a new story came to my mind and I couldn't work on this story until I finished writing down the other one. Hopefully you like it and will review!**

"Your…" she stutters out in shock.

"My family, Rachel. I came to get you and Chris back," he explains.

"But why? I mean why now? It's been weeks, Jesse! Weeks where I haven't heard from you or had any contact with you," she points out walking away from him and beginning to pace in frustration.

"I know, I know it's been weeks and I should have come sooner but I needed time. To be honest I think we both did," he admits looking at her pacing.

She stops short at his admission and looks at him. She sees the same sadness and resignation that has been on her own features ever since she left him in New York.

"This whole time…" he starts, taking a deep breath, "I tried to see where it went wrong," he admits making his way to the piano bench to sit down. "I've tried to figure out what I could have done differently," he pauses, "I've asked myself over and over if I jumped the gun and rushed and forced you into this. Above all I've wondered if all of it was my fault," he says, staring out.

She walks over and sits down next to him. She fights the urge to take his hand or to hold him, knowing that she had lost the right to do so when she threw his ring at him. Instead she resigns herself to sit there and stare out just as he is.

"It's not. It's not your fault, Jesse. Any girl would be extremely lucky to have you, to be given the love and support you've given me," she assures him. "If it's anyone's fault it's mine. I'm the one who's messed up. The one who messed everything we had up."

She dares to look at him and her eyes meet his.

"Do you really see it that way? That I wasn't just as responsible for what happened?" he asks in disbelief.

"Yes!" she exclaims, standing back up to stand in front of him, across the piano. "You weren't the one screaming all those horrible things at me. You weren't the one who threw all the love and support you had been given back at the person you claimed to love, Jesse. I was. I was the one who did that," she says, near tears.

This is the first time she admits her fault in the ending of their relationship out loud. In her mind, after she had cooled down enough, she had begun to realize the truth but she had never voiced it. Now that she has she can't even find the strength to stay standing.

Life had given her a second chance in love, had given her a man that truly understood her and accepted every part of her life, including their son (there was no way she was going to deny that Chris was theirs anymore). Yet she had let her own self-doubt destroy the family they had created together.

She feels herself crumbling, falling towards the floor but before she realizes what's happening she feels two arms surround her and guide her towards the ground. On pure instinct or habit, she's not sure which one it is at this point, she buries herself in his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she sobs.

"I'm sorry too. You may have done those things but I didn't hold back either," he says softly, placing a soft kiss on her head. "I said things that I shouldn't have, I let you leave me and take Chris away, I'm the one who took so long to come after you two."

"He's missed you so much. Most nights he's cried himself to sleep," she explains, pulling back and wiping her tears.

"And you?" he asks, using the pad of his thumb to wipe some of the tears she missed.

"I have too," she admits, a soft smile forming on both their faces.

They stare at each other, knowing that they have a lot more to talk about, issues that they need to fix, but unable to hide the joy of being together again.

"Do you really want me back? Do you love me enough to forgive and move on as a family?" she asks, after a moment of silence.

He takes his hand and places it on her cheek, leaning closer towards her.

"I lo…"

"DADDY!" they hear a little boy yell.

Both adults turn and watch as Chris makes his way up onto the stage. Jesse stands up, his smile beaming, and he lifts the little boy up in the air before holding him as close as he can.

"Daddy," Chris sobs into Jesse's shoulder.

"I'm here. I'm here my little boy," he assures him, failing to hold back his own tears.

"No go," Chris whimpers, clutching onto his father as if letting go would cause him to disappear.

"I'm not going anywhere ever again," he vows, turning to look at Rachel.

Looking at his face she understood that the vow wasn't just for the little boy in his arms but for her as well. She watches as he carefully moves the boy to hold him with one arm while reaching into his pocket with the other. The way the light reflects off the object let's her know what it is, which immediately set off her own tears.

"Chris," he says softly making the boy look. "Do you know what this?" he asks with mischievous tone.

"Mommy ring!" Chris exclaims happily. Both parents smile at his change of mood and his ability to identify the object as quickly as he does.

"I know you don't remember because you were a little baby, but when I first gave this to your mommy you helped me out. Can you help me give it back to her?" he asks and Chris nods effusively, happy to take any part in what is happening.

Jesse hands him the ring and puts him down. Chris runs as fast as he can over to Rachel, who picks him up and takes the ring.

"You know what my answer is Rachel," Jesse starts, drawing her attention back to him. "I… I just need you to know yours."

Rachel looks at him and looks at Chris in her arms. She knows her answer and puts Chris down on the floor before slipping the ring back where it belongs


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello! So I had the first half of this chapter written for a long time now (I think it was one of the first I wrote) and I found it and decided to finish it. Hopefully you like and thank you for reading and reviewing!**

"Hey," he says as he walks slowly into the kitchen.

"What are you doing up? You should be in bed," she says as she rushes over to his side to get him to sit down.

"I'm fine, Rachel," he says as he's forced to sit down.

"Did you somehow forget that you're still recovering from your accident, Jesse?" she asks in disbelief.

"Of course not," he groans as he moves a little too much. "I just need to talk to you."

"You could have waited until I got to bed, it wouldn't have taken that much longer," she points out as she continues to clean up.

"Did dinner go alright?" he asks.

"It went fine. The twins are obviously eating a bit more and making bigger messes. Chris was still a bit quiet. I can tell he misses having you here at the table," she admits as he sighs.

"I know. I wish I can get out of bed more," he says regretfully. "Are they all asleep?"

"Yeah, the twins crashed immediately and Chris went to sleep early because he has a test tomorrow," she explains to him until she notices the seriousness in his features. "You said you wanted to talk to me about something. What is it?" she asks sitting down next to him.

"It's about Chris," he says.

"What about him?"

"I…I want to adopt him," he tells her.

"What?" she asks confused.

"I want to adopt him Rach," he says softly. "I know that he's Finn's son, that you want him to always know that but…" he sighs and looks in the direction of Chris's room, "He's also mine."

"Jesse…" she says speechless.

"He's my son Rachel. I've taken care of him, raised him, loved him since day one, he's one of the most important people in my life, but according to everything I'm nothing of his," he explains looking at Rachel.

"How long have you felt like this?" she asks taking his hand.

"A while," he admits looking at their hands, trying to not let tears fall. "I know its selfish of me, that I should be happy with just being a part of his life, being called daddy by him but I want more," he admits.

"Jess, it's okay for you to feel like this," she assures him. "Honestly, I wondered why you hadn't brought this up sooner."

"It's just that I didn't want to take his real father away from him. Everyone who knew Finn wants Chris to know whose son he is and I didn't want to get in the way of that," he explains.

"You don't have to worry about anyone else. Any decision that involves **our** son is only between you and me," she tells him.

"Do you think he'd be okay with it? I mean given the 'argument' we had prior to the accident?" he asks, nervous.

"That 'argument' really affected you, didn't it?" she asks.

"It hurt Rach, to hear him say those things," he admits. "One of my biggest fears was that actually happening. Of him one day hating or resenting the fact that I'm not his father."

"It was one of mine too," she admits, barely above a whisper. "But you know he didn't mean it. He was just angry and you know he's been struggling with the move and the twins."

"I know. But it doesn't change the fact that it did hurt," he finishes so softly that Rachel has to struggle to hear him.

She squeezes his hand to show her support and after a moment of silence speaks.

"The accident," she pauses, needing to swallow and take a shaky breath, "it was a wakeup call… a reminder to most of us of how short life may be. For Chris, it was a lesson," she explains. "one that I would have preferred he learned when he was older. But it helped him realize how much you mean to him. How much he loves you," she says smiling, causing him to smile as well. "So I believe he would be really happy if you decided to adopt him."

"And you?" he asks, needing the final reassurance to go through with the adoption.

She smiles warmly at him before leaning in to kiss him gently. When the kiss ends, Jesse has a matching smile, knowing what the kiss meant.

"I couldn't be happier. It's an honor that you want to be the father to **all** our children," she says.

Jesse leans in to kiss her but immediately groans in pain and sits back on his chair.

"Alright, let's get you to bed and give you your pain medication. You've pushed yourself enough for today," Rachel tells him, standing up and helping him do the same.

"Urgh. I hate taking the stuff," he complains, as they walk to their room.

"I know you do, but I prefer to have you drugged out instead of in constant pain. So until the doctor says so you're stuck on bedrest and pain meds," she orders as she helps him lay down. She sits on the bed and hands him the medication which he reluctantly drinks. "I have to go finish up," she says reluctantly, trying to stand up.

"Wait," he says grasping her hand. "Please stay until I sleep," he nearly begs.

"Okay," she says softly. "Do you want me to sing something?" she asks noticing that the pain medication and exhaustion start to take effect rather quickly.

"Yes please," he asks, closing his eyes.

She doesn't like singing songs that she's already sung to someone else, that someone being Finn especially. She remembers singing this song to him when she actually meant it about him, she needed Finn during that time of her life, but that isn't the case anymore. The topic of the accident reminded her how close she got to losing the man lying on her bed. It reminded her how much she loves this man, how much he means to her, how much she needs him in her life and in the lives of their children. This song really expressed those feelings for her.

" ** _I can't win; I can't reign I will never win this game without you…_** " she begins to sing. Upon hearing the lyrics, she sees his eyes snap open, surprise and confusion in them.

"Rach…" he tries to say but she simply shakes her head letting him know that she wants to sing this song and that it actually means something to her.

" ** _I won't run, I won't fly I will never make it by without you, without you. I can't rest, I can't fight, all I need is you and I, without you, without you,_** " she continues to sing. She watches as his eyes begin to water as do hers.

As she continues to sing she caresses his face, grateful that she's still able to do so and wipes away the tears that fall. He's fighting the medication and exhaustion and she can tell. She stops her singing during one of the pauses in the song and places a kiss on his forehead, letting him know that she will still be there and that its okay for him to sleep. Eventually he's unable to stay awake and she comes to the end of the song.

" ** _I am lost, I am vain, I will never be the same, without you, without you, without you,"_** she stares at him for a bit, making sure he's comfortable before placing another kiss on his head.

"I love you…" she whispers.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi Again! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's on the longer side because it started off with one idea and turned into something else. So hopefully it turned out okay at the end.**

Jesse St. James is more or less enjoying his evening alone in his New York City apartment. He's ordered take-out and is sitting on his couch watching Funny Girl alone, although he secretly wishes a certain someone was here watching it with him. When they had dated, that certain someone had made him watch this movie, along with every other Barbra Streisand movie, on a weekly basis. He's avoided these movies since then but being in touch with her again and knowing that she's going to be staring in the Broadway production, he couldn't help but watch it.

The "I'm The Greatest Star" number is just beginning when he hears a knock on the door. He tries to ignore it, but there's another more insistent knock followed by a very familiar voice.

"Jesse," the voice calls out.

He quickly scrambles to the door and opens it, surprised to confirm his ears weren't deceiving him. At his door is a pregnant Rachel Berry, luggage right behind her.

"R…Rachel?" he stutters

"Hi Jesse. Can I come in?" she asks timidly.

"O…of course," he says moving aside. She moves to get her luggage but he immediately reacts. "You shouldn't be carrying this," he says, taking the luggage and following her inside.

They both stop at the living room couch, Rachel starring at the TV, as Barbra sings.

"You're watching Funny Girl," she says, surprise in her voice.

"I am," he confirms, watching as the girl he loves hides her emotions behind her nearly perfect show face.

"Do you mind if I watch it with you?" she asks.

"Of course not. Make yourself comfortable and feel free to start it over," he assures her.

She simply nods, sits down, and starts the movie over.

He knows something big must have happened for her to be here and in this mood, but he doesn't have the heart to ask her. So instead he heads to the kitchen and gathers a few of the treats they used to share when watching these movies.

He walks back in to the living room and sets the snacks on the table. As he sits down next to her, he sees a small smile graze her features as she realizes he remembers. She leans into him and he holds her, just as he used to.

During the movie he notices her nervously rubbing her growing belly and places his hand gently on top of hers.

"You're going to make the baby hate this movie before he's even born if you keep it up," he jokes, unconsciously caressing the bump.

"You're right," she sighs.

"You want to talk about it?" he asks not wanting to press.

"Not really. But I think you deserve an explanation as to why I showed up at your doorstep with my luggage," she says.

"I think I do too, but only when you're ready," he reassures her, gently kissing her head. "Now let me watch my movie."

She giggles a bit before turning her attention back to the movie. Once and a while she will make a remark about the staging of the show in contrast to the movie or her interpretation of the songs. But she mostly remains quiet.

As the movie ends and Jesse is about to get up, Rachel begins to speak.

"Santana auditioned to be my understudy without telling me," she begins, taking him by surprise. "We got into a huge argument that ended with the decision that one of us had to leave. Kurt sided with her so I decided that I was the one who needed to leave," she tells him.

"Okay… I think you need to explain everything to me because I'm really confused. What do you mean Santana auditioned? Since when is she interested in Broadway?" he asks.

She begins telling him everything that happened from the moment Santana auditioned for the role. By the time she's finished, it's very late at night.

"So that's what happened," she says.

"Wow. You sure do like having drama in your life Berry," he says with a slight chuckle. "But just so you know, you can stay here as long as you want," he assures her and she hugs him as tight as she can.

"Thank you so much," she says and he feels his heart jump at the slight show of affection and her happiness.

"Come on let's get you settled in," he says releasing her.

He takes her luggage and leads her to his room.

"I have an extra room but it's being used as storage right now so you'll have to use my room until I fix it up," he explains.

"No Jesse I can't…" she starts.

"I insist. I'll stay on the couch don't worry," he assures her.

She gets set up in his room as Jesse sets himself up in the living room.

"Goodnight Jesse," Rachel says, coming into the living room.

"Goodnight Rachel," he says back, as she retreats to his room.

He quickly falls asleep on the couch, the day's events running through his mind.

Days pass and they both slowly become accustomed to living with each other. He's still sleeping on the couch, having forgotten how much stuff he had in the spare room, but he doesn't mind. Having her there is worth the pain in his neck and back that he wakes up with every morning. She has a doctor's appointment that week and he accompanies her after she insists.

"Miss Berry," a nurse announces.

He doesn't recognize this nurse from the previous visits as he feels Rachel dragging him along.

"So I'm assuming that this is the father," the nurse states as she leads them into the exam room.

She must be new; she has to be. Rachel had told him that the nurses knew that the father of her child was deceased. There was no way they would ask her this.

"Umm… no," Rachel starts, clearing her throat and holding back her tears. "The um… father d…died a few months ago," she explains to her.

Jesse wants to yell at the girl, he really does, but as Rachel grabs his hand and he feels the slight tremors, his anger evaporates. Instead he squeezes her hand, letting her know that he's there for her.

"Jesse… he's a friend who's here to support me," she adds.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean… I didn't know," the nurse struggles to fix her error.

"Can you give us a few minutes?" Jesse tries to ask with the calmest voice he can muster.

"Of…of course," she stutters as she makes her way out the room.

As soon as they're alone, Rachel breaks down. All he can do is hold her and not let his personal feelings get in the way.

"Just let it out, Rach," he whispers as he rubs her back.

"I'm sorry," she sobs.

"Shh. Why are you apologizing?" he asks.

"For putting up with me. I know it's not easy for you, especially with those type of comments," she says.

He can't stop himself from tensing up, knowing that she knows about his feelings for her, that she's talking about them.

"You need to relax Rach," avoiding the topic, "this much stress isn't good for the mini jolly green giant growing in you," he says trying to cheer her up.

It works and she laughs through her sobs.

"I can't believe you're calling him that, we're not even sure if the baby's a he yet," she says, calming her sobs.

"Well I think he's a he and he's probably going to be a mini version of his dad, but for him to get here when he's supposed to you need to calm down," he says. She begins to do so but she once again brings up the previous topic.

"You… you can't just ignore your own emotions, Jesse," she says.

"Why not? I've been doing so since I met you," he admits, not realizing he's said it out loud.

But before she can even address it, there's a knock on the door, followed by the doctor entering.

"I am so sorry about our nurse, one of our regulars went on leave and she was just hired," she apologizes.

"Its fine," Rachel says, composing herself.

He wipes some of the tears she missed away and waits for her silent confirmation to know that she's okay before letting her go. However, she doesn't let go of his hand and squeezes it as a silent thank you.

During the appointment Rachel, he notices, is more silent than usual up until the ultrasound. When the image appears he watches as she cries at hearing her child's heartbeat and at the confirmation that he was indeed right and that the little baby inside her is actually a boy.

He expected the water works, the emotions she might feel at this moment. What he doesn't expect is to feel a certain pull at his heart or a need to hold his own tears back. And as much as he tries he cannot fight the love and attachment that he's feeling towards the little boy growing in the woman he loves.

This happiness that Rachel has only last until the appointment ends. Once they leave she shuts down and keeps to herself the rest of the day. They both go to sleep with no more than a few words said between them.

A few hours in, however he's woken up by a very loud scream. He quickly rises and runs to his room to find Rachel tossing about and screaming in her sleep. Not caring about getting hit, he quickly climbs into the bed and holds her.

"Wake-up, Rachel! Wake-up!" he yells at her, trying to snap her out of it. Her eyes snap open at the sound of his voice and as realization of what was happening hits her she begins to cry and curl into his embrace.

"He's gone, Jesse. He's gone," she sobs.

His heart breaks as he realizes what she was dreaming about. When he had called Kurt to let him know she was staying with him, he had warned about the nightmares. How she would relive the events surrounding Finn's death. He should have known that today's events would have set them off.

"I know Rach, I know," he says. "But I'm here. I'm here for you and so is this little one," he says moving their hands to her belly. "He may be gone Rachel but you'll always have this little part of him with you. This little guy who was made from the love you two had for each other, that's what you have to remember," he tells her. "He along with all your friends and family are here for you and they all love you."

Slowly she calms down to the point that he thinks that she's fallen asleep but as he tries to move she tightens her hold on him.

"Don't leave," she begs, looking into his eyes pleadingly.

"I won't," he vows, unable to deny her anything.

Slowly they both fall asleep in each other's embrace for the first but not the last time.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi again! I wanted to apologize but I hurt my wrist and typing is a bit painful to do so it took a while and it may not be as long as I had planned. It may take a while for me to update my other story as well because of this but thank you for being patient. I hope you like it and reviews are appreciated.**

He's been working on this project the entire week. It was a surprise he had planned for Rachel for when she came back from her trip.

It had been hard to convince her to go on the trip with her dads in the first place. But when he had informed her that he wouldn't be going she had a full emotional breakdown. Part of it had been the hormones, he believed, the other was the fear of separation. Since she had moved in they had become inseparable and being separated for a long period of time was not something she wanted. She had begged him to join them and although it broke his heart to deny her anything he had told her no. Days following him saying no, he was given the silent treatment until she realized her time with him was limited. Hopefully this would make up for the emotional roller-coaster he had made her go through. Especially since the project wasn't really for her.

In reality the project was for the little baby they're waiting to be born. The guestroom that was never fixed up was now going to be a nursery.

He never got the chance to finish the guest room following the night she had the first nightmare, instead he had spent every night holding the love of his life in his arms (except for those days that he was given the silent treatment). At first it had been hard, trying to keep his emotions at bay. But as time passed that had changed. She had fallen in love with him and since then it had been the best time of his life.

She's going to arrive any minute and but he has to finish this last little detail. He's been digging through his things looking for it and he finally finds it. He knows she'll remember it and hopefully it will let her know how committed he is to this family that they're forming.

"Hello?" he hears her voice call out following the opening of the door.

He quickly places it in the crib before running out to the living room. When he sees her he can't help but take her in his arms and hold her as close and as tight as he can without hurting the little baby between them.

"Jesse," she sighs in relief, against his shoulder.

"Rachel," he also murmurs, realizing how much he truly missed the girl in his arms.

"I missed you," she adds.

"I missed you too. Both of you," he adds pulling back to place a gentle hand on her slightly larger belly.

"I think he's missed you too. He wouldn't stop moving the entire trip," she says with a chuckle.

"Is that right?" he asks before, kneeling down to talk to the little boy. "Did you miss me little guy?" he asks, as he feels a little kick against his hand.

"I think that was a yes," she says giggling.

"Where are your dads?" he asks standing up and looking behind her.

"They said that we probably wanted some space and time to ourselves and that they'd drop off my things tomorrow," she tells him and he can't help but smile.

"I'm so happy that you're back," he admits and she smiles before kissing him softly.

"No more sending me away on trips," she warns.

"I promise. To be honest I just wanted you to leave so I can finish a surprise for you," he reveals.

"You have a surprise for me?" she asks giddy.

"I do but I want you to promise me that you'll keep your emotions in check because, as much as I love you, I cannot handle a hysterical Rachel Berry," he says jokingly.

"I promise to try," she says playfully.

"That's all I ask," he says before taking her hand and leading her towards the guest room.

"My surprise is in the guest room?" she asks.

"Yes, it is. But I need you to close your eyes," he says with a smile.

She does and he leads her into the room.

"Okay you can open them now," he tells her.

She opens her eyes and gasps as she realizes that it was no longer a guest room but it was now a beautiful nursery, just as she had described to him one night.

"Oh my god, Jesse," she says, tears gathering in her eyes.

"I knew how much you wanted this and I just had to do it," he explains, pausing to let her take it all in.

She walks around the room looking at the decorations he's put up and the furniture he picked out. She smiles at the small piano that's in there and all the music albums and books that fill the shelves. The final thing that she looks into is the crib, both of them starting to imagine a little boy in there. But what catches her eye is a certain care bear sitting in there, appearing to be waiting for a friend. She can't help but pick it up and smile at the memory of her winning this care bear for him.

"I know you still have doubts, fears about me and the baby," he points out, bringing her attention to him and seeing the truth of what he's saying in her eyes. "I wanted to show you that I'm fully in this Rachel. That I really want to form this family with you," he assures her, walking over to her. "I wanted this little guy," he says placing his hand on her belly, "to have something that I really care about. Something that has a special place in my heart just like he and his mommy do."

Before he can say more she kisses him.

"I love you," she says.

"I love you. Both of you, too."


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi! Sorry for taking so long to update but one of the downside to working with little kids is that you get sick really easily. This is the first time I'm getting on my computer to write anything so it's short. I hope you like it and please review.**

She's fighting the urge to run her fingers through his hair and wake him to repeat what they had done.

He's sleeping peacefully, exhausted from what they did earlier that night. A soft smile and blush crawls on her face as she recalls the events.

It was their first time.

They had been dating for months now, living together even longer than that. He had been patient through it all, waiting for her both physically and emotionally. As they got to know each other again, became each other's best friend and had become responsible for raising a little boy together, she had fallen in love with him all over again.

She's brought out of her thoughts by a cry coming from the next room. She grabs the first thing she finds, Jesse's shirt, to cover herself and makes her way to the room.

"Hey baby, it's okay, mommy's here," she coos as she picks her son up. The boy immediately buries himself deeper into his mother's arms. She hums the first song that comes to her head and the little boy starts calming down. She tries to put him back into his crib but his cries immediately start up again.

"Okay so my little boy doesn't want to sleep alone," she coos picking him back up. "You wanna sleep with mommy?" she asks as she carries the boy to her room. She's surprised to see Jesse leaning against the headboard with a small smirk on his face.

"You should still be asleep," she says, fixing her hold on the baby.

"I woke up when I felt you get up," he explains as he gets up and starts walking over to them, his boxers having been put on at some point.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she starts but is interrupted by a kiss.

"I know," he says as he pulls away and smiles at her. He then takes the little boy from her and begins rocking him back and forth. "You want to sleep with me and your mommy?" he asks him as he tickles the little boy's stomach, causing him to smile.

"You don't mind, do you?" Rachel asks a bit nervously.

"Of course not," he says as they start walking towards the bed. "It wouldn't be the first time he stays with us" he points out as he carefully sits on the bed.

"I know. I was just worried given that we just…" she trails off as she feels the familiar heat rising on her cheeks.

"I can't believe you still blush when talking about sex," Jesse laughs out as he sees the red appearing on his girlfriend's cheeks. Suddenly, however he turns serious as a thought comes into his head and looks at her. "You don't regret it, do you?"

"What? Of course, not," she quickly reassures. "Tonight was one of the best nights of my life. There's no way I'm regretting doing anything with you."

"Really?" he asks with a small smile.

"I may not say it enough, but I love you Jesse. With everything that's happened in my life, I wouldn't have done what we did if I didn't," she says. "I've tried the whole sex without loving the other person and I can assure you this was infinitely better."

"Are you saying I did a better job than a male prostitute?" Jesse jokes, trying to play down the joy that her words bring to him. She giggles before leaning over to kiss him, before saying against his lips.

"Much, much better," she says, causing him to moan as she kisses him again.

"You know if I didn't have a baby in my arms I would probably give you a repeat performance," he says seductively.

"And here I was going to tell you that I find you extremely attractive with a baby in your arms," she says moving to sit next to him and look at the little boy in his arms, who seems to be entertained by their playful bickering. Jesse laughs before looking down at the little boy.

"You little guy are both a chick magnet and a mini blocker," he coos to the little boy.

"Jesse," she reprimands.

"What? He is," he points out.

She just stares at him and she can't help but smile.

"I love you," she repeats for the second time that night.

"I love you too," he says with a bright smile. "Now let's get this little boy to fall asleep."

"And maybe have a repeat performance?" she asks.

"You Miss Berry read my mind."


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi again! Sorry its taking me so long to update but I got a bit of writer's block and my time to actually sit down and write has been limited. But hopefully you all like this chapter.**

It's Friday night and Rachel has left to the theater for the night's performance.

He loves seeing her in her element and goes to every performance he can. But most nights he stays home and takes care of the little guy.

He's starting to stand up now, using anything he can to move himself around the apartment. Most days he and Rachel struggle to keep him from breaking things. But the boy still hasn't made the attempt of walking on his own.

He recalls a phone call he overheard between Rachel and Carole Hudson. The older woman called Rachel often, always wanting to know about the wellbeing of her only grandchild. During this call, he remembers Carole mentioning that her son had taken a long time to learn how to walk. Hopefully this little guy took after Rachel in that regard.

"Je!" he hears a small muffled voice exclaim.

He can't help but chuckle at the way the little boy calls out for him. He walks away from his seat at the piano and towards the playpen where Chris is standing, "bouncing" up and down while holding the edge.

"Hey buddy," he says with a smile. "You're finally up."

The boy just smiles up at him, holding his arms out for him to pick him up.

"Up," he demands the pacifier never leaving his mouth.

"You're just as demanding as your mother," he chuckles, lifting the boy up and giving him a few kisses. "And I can't say no to you either."

Chris simply lays his head against his shoulder and grasps onto his shirt. He can't help but place another kiss on the top of the boy's head.

"You know I love you, right?" he whispers. "I might not say it as much as I should, especially in front of your mommy but I really do, more than I probably should," he admits.

He just stands there comfortably with Chris in his arms rocking him slightly until he feels the familiar movement that means down. He decides to tease the little boy a bit and ignore the signals but the boy gets restless.

"Okay, okay, down you go," he says, slowly lowering the boy to allow him to 'roam' the apartment like he wants.

He watches as the boy crawls to the nearest table and stands himself up, working his way around the room, using the furniture to stay up. Making sure that he's able to see Chris, he walks back to the piano and begins playing some music. Half way through a song he notices Chris standing still and staring at the piano.

Chris doesn't like crawling over here, that much he knows. Whenever he wants to go to the piano he gets either Rachel or himself to carry him over. Once there he tends to bang on the keys or just watch him play it. He fights the urge to laugh as the boy throws him what can be described as a pleading look.

"No way buddy. If you want to come to the piano you're going to have to try walking over here," he challenges playfully, not really expecting the boy to do anything and moving slightly to the side, to leave the piano in full view. The pleading look, however, disappears and is replaced by one that he knows all too well.

The look of determination.

It's the same look he's seen in his mother whenever he challenged her to do something or that he teased her with her "inability" to do something. He realizes that the little boy is not going to stop until he accomplishes his goal and rises to the challenge.

This moment is something he is never going to forget. It will become a memory that he will cherish for the rest of his life. Something that only he and Chris will share, but only he will remember.

He takes the first wobbly step away from safety net that was the coffee table and towards the piano. Then the second step is taken and then the third and the fourth. To his surprise however, the little boy's steps aren't going to the piano but to him.

Unthinkingly he kneels and watches as a bright smile shows behind the pacifier, on the boy's face. Laughter erupts from in him as the boy takes his final step into his outstretched arms and he can't help but toss the little boy up.

"Oh my God! I can't believe you did it buddy!" joy and pride evident in his voice as he touches his forehead with Chris's.

"Je!" Chris says, patting Jesse's cheek, happy at the fact that he made Jesse happy and that he got tossed up.

"I'm so proud of you, Chris. Your mommy is going to be so happy when she finds out," he tells the boy. As the little boy's mother comes to mind so does the boy's father. He lowers the boy as his mood becomes somber.

Not for the first time does he feel that it isn't fair or right for him to be here, that he has no right to be holding the little boy in his arms. His father should be the one enjoying his first footsteps, not the man who was considered his enemy and that will probably be known as a good stepdad at best. But before he can let these feelings take over, his attention is drawn back to Chris and seeing the smile on Rachel's child makes those feelings go away. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be in this position and life might not be fair but this was the hand that was dealt them. He's here now, forming a family with Rachel and her son and he was going to enjoy every moment of this little guy's life, not just for him but for Finn as well.

"You know your daddy is probably celebrating the fact that you took these first steps. Just as much as I am right now," he announces before once again tossing him up, causing him to squeal.

"I know I'm not him, but I'm going to make sure you're whatever you need me to be and what he might have wanted me to be," he vows.

He knows Chris doesn't understand what he's saying but he needed to voice it to him.

"But enough of that. Right now we're going to keep practicing so that you can show off to your mommy."

And that's exactly how Rachel finds them. Him on the ground with the Chris walking towards him and laughter filling the room.


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi again! Sorry for taking so long to update but I finally got this chapter done. I hope you all like it and please review!**

 ** _BOOM CRACK_**

He jolts awake in an unfamiliar room. Unfamiliar that is until he remembers where he is. They're visiting Grandma and Grandpa for a St. James family reunion and he's staying in his daddy's old room, surrounded by all his singing trophies.

That fact however only calms his mind for a moment before a flash reminds him why he's awake.

 ** _BOOM CRACK_**

His heart once again accelerates and his breathing quickly joins. He covers himself with the blanket, hoping that not seeing the flashes will help.

 _Breathe, breathe. You're a big boy and big boys aren't afraid of thunder, that's what his cousin said. If you're afraid mommy and daddy won't want you._

He tries his best to drown out the rain hitting the window and the wind howling outside. It appears to be working…

 ** _BOOM CRA…_**

The thunder roar hasn't even ended before he's in the hallway running towards the direction of his parents' room. But in his fright, he can't remember which door is the one his parents are in.

 ** _BOOM CRACK_**

Tears start falling down his face as the panic of not knowing where his parents are is beginning to take over.

 ** _BOOM CRACK_**

He sinks down to the ground, sobbing. He closes his eyes and covers ears attempting to block out the noise.

 ** _BOOM CRACK_**

He suddenly feels himself being lifted by a pair of familiar arms. Upon recognizing who it is he buries his head between the neck and shoulder, letting his tears soak the shirt he's clutching onto.

"Shh. It's okay, it's okay. I've got you," the voice says softly, making sure not to wake the other house guests.

 ** _BOOM CRACK_**

He whimpers into the shoulder grasping on tighter.

"I was just coming to get you," the voice whispers. "I knew the thunder was going to be too scary."

He feels a kiss being placed on the top of his head and a gentle hand moving up and down his back. They start moving and he hears a door open and close quietly.

"Was he awake?" he hears his mom's voice ask.

"Yeah. I found him on the ground in the hallway. He must have forgotten what room we were staying in," his daddy answers.

"My poor baby."

He can tell his daddy is sitting down on the bed.

 ** _BOOM CRACK_**

He leaves his father's embrace and moves onto the bed between his two parents, hiding beneath the blankets and snuggling with his mom.

"It's okay sweetie. You're with me and Daddy now," his mom says sweetly.

"I tried to be a big boy mommy. I tried not to be scared like he said but I couldn't. I don't want you to not want me…" he stumbles over his words.

"Slow down. Who told you this?" his daddy asks.

"Ryan," he tells him.

"Chris," he hears his daddy sigh, "Ryan is ten years old you're only four buddy, it's okay for you to be afraid of thunder."

"Really?" he asks finally showing his face to his parents.

"Yes really. Your mommy and I don't mind having you in here, if you're ever scared is okay to come looking for us," his daddy reassures him. "And as for the other part of that your mommy and I will always want you and will always love you no matter what."

 ** _BOOM CRACK_**

The thunder doesn't sound as scary now that he's with his parents. HIs daddy's reassurance calms his mind and helps him relax. He moves closer to his mommy and cuddles with her, receiving a kiss on top of his head. He feels his daddy embrace them both before moving closer to his ear to whisper something softly.

" _I see a little silhouette of a man,"_ he hears his daddy sing softly.

" _Scaramouch, Scaramouch will you do the fandango,"_ he sings the familiar lyrics back, smile on his face. His daddy always sang this part of the song when the thunder was too scary for him.

" _Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me,"_ they both sing together. " _Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Figaro, magnifico_."

His mommy laughs as she always does.

"Do you two always have to sing that song when it's raining?" she asks, jokingly.

"Of course, we do, it's a tradition!" his daddy answers excitedly.

He giggles at his parents' banter but can't hold back a yawn.

"You should sleep sweetie. It's late and tomorrow will be a long day," his mommy tells him.

"Okay mommy, love you," he says with another yawn.

"I love you sweetie," she says back.

He gets as comfortable as he can before he remembers something.

"Thank you for finding me daddy," he says softly.

"I'll always find you whenever you need me," his daddy seems to promise as he closes his eyes.

"I love you daddy," he mumbles.

"I love you too."

 ** _BOOM CRACK_**

He doesn't even hear the thunder as he falls asleep in his mommy's arms


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello! Sorry for not updating sooner but things just happened these past few weeks from my grandmother going to the hospital, my dog getting sick, myself getting sick, it has just been crazy. This is short because I'm still working on the rest of story but I'll hopefully finish and add the rest of it soon. Updates to my other stories are also coming soon. Thank you for reading!**

"Hey sweetie," Hiram says entering Rachel's childhood room.

"Hey Daddy!" she answers happily.

"Finishing up the last wedding details?"

She is finally marrying Jesse next week and no matter how much she's prepared and has gotten Kurt to help with, she still feels like there's so much to do. Luckily Chris had agreed to take his nap today which has given her much needed free time.

"Yup," she says.

"Any progress being done?"

"I know that there is but I just feel like I'm not getting anything done," she explains.

"Haven't you gotten help?"

"Kurt has been a huge help and so has Jesse, at least for the most part," she mumbles the last part.

"Why do you say that?" Hiram asks a bit confused.

"It's just that we're only a week away from the wedding and he disappears on me, saying that he needed to do something with his dad and that it really needed to happen today," she complains before taking a calming breath. "I just wish Jesse could be here to help me with some things. I know he needs some time with his family but I just don't get why it had to be today," she explains, going back to her work.

A sudden realization hits Hiram and he decides to test his daughter to see if he's right.

"Honey you do realize what tomorrow is right?"

"Um, Sunday?" she asks, still focused on the task in front of her.

"Honey, tomorrow is Father's day," he reminds her daughter.

This brings her up short. How could she forget Father's day? She has two of them for goodness sake. Jesse spending the day with his father suddenly makes sense and she feels horrible for even complaining about it.

"How did I forget that?" she says in disbelief.

"You're stressed out about the wedding, sweetie, something was going to slip your mind at one point," Hiram points out.

"I know but tomorrow was supposed to be something special," she groans, rubbing her face in frustration.

"What do you mean?"

"Its… It's just that," she struggles to find a way to explain it before she takes a calming breath. "This is the first Father's Day that Chris actually refers to Jesse as 'daddy'," she explains, letting Hiram understand. "He's been such a great dad for him and every mother's day since Chris has been born, Jesse has made sure to make the day a big deal… I just wanted for him to feel that extra bit of love and appreciation on the first Father's day as Chris's dad."

"Jesse really means a lot for you doesn't he?"

"He's the reason I'm living," she remarks.

"What do you mean?" Hiram asks, afraid of what his daughter might reveal.

"I… I…" she stumbles, her resolve faltering until her dad takes her hand in support. "After Finn died… I was in a really dark place Daddy. One that I made Santana and Kurt swear to never tell you about."

She pauses, needing to take a deep breath.

"I was starving myself. I didn't really realize I was doing it and neither did Kurt or Santana at first. It wasn't until they found me on the floor unconscious that we realized how bad it had gotten. I just remember how much I didn't want to be here anymore, how much I missed Finn."

"But you were pregnant…"

"I didn't know that! At least not until the doctor told me in the hospital," she explains. "The last thing on my mind at the time was whether or not I was getting my period."

"Then what happened?" Hiram asks.

"When I found out, everything changed. It wasn't just about me anymore, I was responsible for someone else at that point. Chris is really what kept me alive," she admits.

"But you said…"

"During that time I also discovered the difference between being alive and living," she quickly explains. "I ate, drank, slept, did everything I needed to do to survive and make sure Chris was okay. But I wasn't living."

"Until you met Jesse again," Hiram says, finally understanding what his daughter had been telling him about.

"When he came back into my life, I started living again, Daddy. He made me go out, continue with my life in New York. As he became my friend he made me feel happy to be alive and he made me realize that there was a life after Finn, that I could move on and fall in love again," she says with a smile. "But the moment he accepted Chris… that was one of the happiest moments of my life. He showed me that he accepted every part of my life and that he really did love my son as much as his real father would have. That's why tomorrow's so important," she ends.

"Then I'll help you with whatever you need," Hiram says with a soft smile.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi again! Sorry for not updating but I had a severe case of writers block that has not entirely gone away. The lack of time I have to actually sit down and write hasn't helped the situation either. But here's what I managed to write, I hope you all like it.**

The next morning she wakes up with every intention to sneak out of the room to prepare a surprise breakfast for her fiancé. But to her surprise she finds herself alone in bed and after looking in the crib she finds her son missing too.

Instead of staying in the room she quickly begins to think of ways to adjust her plans and makes her way down the stairs, hearing the soft notes of the piano and the babbling of their son.

"Nother!" the little voice demands.

"Shh, your mommy is still sleeping, we can't wake her up," she hears Jesse whisper to their son.

"Shh…" Chris repeats.

She sneaks into the living room and watches as both her boys play around on the piano. Thankfully their backs were to her and neither was aware of her presence.

"So what does the little boy want to hear?" Jesse asks playfully.

"Sound!" Chris exclaims before repeating in a quieter voice, following a stern look from Jesse. "Sound."

"Okay, Sound of Music it is," Jesse declares, before beginning to play.

 _"_ _My day in the hills has come to an end. I know. A star has come out to tell me it's time to go. But deep in the darkening shadows are voices that urge me to stay. So I pause and I wait and I listen, for one more sound, for one more lovely thing, that the hills might say,"_ he pauses for dramatic effect before continuing to play a different song completely.

" _High on a hill was a lonely goatherd,"_ he pauses and sees his son smiling.

" _Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo. Loud was the voice of the lonely goatherd. Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo_ _ **."**_ he pauses again, " _My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rise from the lake to the trees. Odl lay"_ Chris giggles and she tries her best to control her laughter

" _My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze. To laugh like a brook as it trips and falls over stones in its way. To sing through the night, like a lark that is learning to pray. Yodel lay ee. Yodel lay ee. Yodel lay ee. Yodel lay ee."_ he start yodeling which causes Chris to start jumping up and down with happiness seeing his daddy act completely silly. Any hope of keeping her presence unknown is thrown out the window when she can no longer keep her laughter at bay. To her husband's credit he keeps performing with only a slight turn of his head in her direction and a blush as indication that he knows she's watching. Chris however quickly motions for her to join them and she heads over placing a kiss on both their cheeks before picking Chris up and sitting on the bench with Jesse.

" _One little girl in a pale pink coat heard. Lae ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo. She yodeled back to the lonely goatherd,"_ Jesse sings waiting for her to join in _._

 _"_ _Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo,"_ she sings along before letting Jesse finish his performance.

 _"_ _Soon her Mama with a gleaming gloat heard. Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hmm hmm. What a duet for a girl and goatherd, Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo. Odl lay ee, old lay ee Odl lay hee hee, odl lay ee Odl lay odl lay, odl lay odl lee, odl lay odl lee. Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do-so-do."_

Chris has no way of containing his joy and leaps out of his mom's lap into his father's.

"Did you like it buddy?" Jesse asks through chuckles.

"Yes!" Chris exclaims.

"Hey sweetie, can you go get the surprise we got Daddy?" Rachel suggests to her son.

"Okay!" he exclaims before running off as fast as he can to retrieve the gift.

"Surprise?" Jesse asks, carefully letting Rachel sit on his lap.

"Yes surprise. You ruined my plan by waking up before me so I've had to adjust," she says teasingly.

"So what is it for?" he asks.

"I wanted to celebrate your first Father's day as Chris's daddy," she explains.

"Rachel…" he's touched and left speechless.

"I know it's not the first father's day that we've had Chris with us or that you've been raising him with me but it is the first that he's actually seen you as his daddy and not just Jesse," she explains.

He kisses her then and they only break apart when their little boy's footsteps and giggles are heard.

"Daddy!" he exclaims, holding out a gift bag.

Rachel gets off her fiancé's lap so that he can lift up the little boy and place him there instead.

"Thank you Chris," Jesse says kissing the boy's head.

"Open!"

They both laugh at the boy's eagerness and Jesse takes out the card first. He laughs at the little boy's attempt to write "Happy Father's Day" and the drawings of their little family, which he's used to cleaning off their walls. He kisses the boy one more time before continuing onto the rest of his gift. He pulls out more of Chris's doodles and even a cheezy "World's Best Dad" shirt, before pulling out the final gift.

On the bottom of the bag is a frame with a picture that makes his eyes water. She took the picture the first night at home with Chris. Chris had woken up in the middle of the night and Jesse had gotten up instead of waking her to attend to him. When she had walked into the nursery the scene of Jesse holding Chris with such love, care and devotion, while softly singing to him had melted her heart and she had taken the picture knowing that it was a moment she wanted to cherish forever. She may have not realized it at the time but now she knew why that moment was so important.

"Looking back," she starts, drawing his attention away from the picture, "that's the moment you became his dad. I may have been too afraid to give you the title until Chris gave it to you, but seeing you like that…" she shakes her head in awe, "it really showed me that you weren't going to be burdened by Chris. That, even though you had told me many times, you really did love him and that you really wanted to be there for him," she explains, holding back her own emotional tears as she watches his begin to fall. "And I wanted you to see that moment just as I did."

He leans in and kisses her not caring that his tears are mixing with her own or that their son is right in between them. He continues it for a few moments before pulling back to look into her eyes

"I love you," he manages say.

"I love you too."

Their attention turns back onto their son who has a big smile on his face which appears anytime his parents show some type of affection.

"Come on sweetie, let's go make Daddy his Father's day breakfast," she suggests, wiping away her tears.

"Okay!" he answers excitedly

"But what were you supposed to say to him?" she reminds him.

"Happy Father's day!" he yells into Jesse's ear as he hugs him.

"Thank you so much, Chris," Jesse says hugging him back.

"I love you, Daddy," says in a softer voice.

"I love you too, Chris."

 **AN: The "song" that Jesse sang was from a concert Jonathan Groff did.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi! I feel like I'm apologizing a lot for not updating but soon I'll be on vacation and hopefully will be able to update all my stories a lot more frequently. I hope you all like this chapter even though its short.**

For the second time in his life he, Jesse St. James, finds himself nervous. He is pacing like a madman and once again it's because of Rachel Berry.

"Jesse calm down, everything is going to be alright," he hears Blaine, who he's become close with, remind him for the nth time.

"He's right son, you should relax, I'm pretty sure you're making my grandson dizzy with your pacing," his dad chuckles.

He stops for a moment to look at his dad holding his son.

One of the things that surprised him when he chose to be with Rachel and raise Chris was his parents' acceptance of the whole situation. They welcomed both Rachel and Chris into the family with open arms and no qualms about it.

It wasn't until he talked to his older brother that he understood why.

It turned out that his mom had his older brother in a previous marriage. When she got her divorce and she met his dad, Martin St. James had accepted them both to the point of adopting his brother and giving him the St. James name.

When asked why his parents never told him about this his brother told him that they didn't want him to be treated any differently and that the memories of their mother's first marriage weren't ones she liked revisiting. Besides that story wasn't important to them, what was important to them was that their youngest son was finally happy.

And as he stares at his father holding his smiling son he knows deep down that one day he wants to do the same. He wants to give Chris his last name, make him his own but he knows Rachel is nowhere near accepting that yet.

"Sorry I'm just worried that's all," he admits. Suddenly Blaine's phone goes off.

"It's Kurt, he says that Rachel wants to see how cute Chris looks in his suit and to take him there ASAP," he reads the text aloud.

"That's fine. Let me just," Jesse starts as he picks up the boy and tosses him up before kissing him repeatedly, leaving the boy in a fit of giggles. "Say hi to mommy for me okay Chris and tell her I love her very very much," Jesse tells him.

"Okay Daddy!" the boy answers enthusiastically. He hands him over to Blaine.

"Take care of him Blaine and make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble."

"Will do. Come on Chris let's go see your mommy," Blaine says heading towards the door and leaving the room.

"Rachel loves you Jess, there's no way she's ditching you at the altar," his dad assures him, drawing his attention away from the door.

"I know but there's still that little bit of doubt you know," he sighs before looking into his father's eyes. "How did you do it? How did you deal with knowing you weren't the first one she wanted to do this with?" he asks.

"I loved her. I loved her and loved your brother enough to forget she had chosen my best friend over me," he answers fully understanding what his son was feeling at the moment.

"I love them both more than anything, I'm just afraid that I won't…" he struggles to find the right word.

"Reach the expectations she may have had for him?" his dad finishes and he can't help but nod.

"I'm terrified that she'll walk Doreen the aisle and be disappointed to see me standing there waiting for her instead of him," he shares.

"I won't lie to you Jess, I had the same doubts, the same fear. It wasn't until I got it through my head that I wasn't him that she really didn't expect me to be him that I got past it. You have to do the same, you have to believe that you're enough for them because you are son. You're more than enough," his dad tells him. "And I can tell you right now that when she walks down the aisle you'll only see love and happiness radiating from her face."

"Thanks Dad," he says sincerely. His father gets out of his seat and gives him a tight hug.

"Now let's get you on that altar and prove that I'm right about my soon to be daughter-in-law."

And sure enough his dad's right.

As he watches the love of his life make her way towards him he can only see love and uncontrollable joy radiating from her.


	25. Chapter 25

**Hope you all enjoy! Update to other stories should come soon.**

He's coming down the stairs of his father in law's house, having just put the twins down for their naps. He was planning on spending some time with Chris now that he had the chance to and he goes looking for him.

He hasn't spent as much time as he would have liked with him. Once he went back to work the time spent with his children was limited to the morning with the twins and the short time between Chris's return from school and his time of departure to the theater.

It wasn't enough.

Which is why, after giving his thanks to the producers of the show for giving him the opportunity to come back after his long absence, he quit the show just as summer was beginning for his son.

"Come on sweetie we can go over to my house and watch some football with Burt," he hears Carole Hudson-Hummel's voice coming from the basement.

"No thank you Grandma Carole. I really don't want to watch football right now," his son responds.

"Why not? You used to really like watching with me," Carole reminds the boy.

"I just don't, I'd rather go upstairs and play on the piano for a bit," Chris answers, honestly.

"Are you serious? Chris you're not sounding like you."

"What?" he hears the sudden tension in his son's voice.

"Yeah. You're not sounding like you used to. You used to want to watch football and be like your daddy. You're sounding more like…" Carole doesn't finish but her meaning is clear.

More like him.

He feels himself clenching his fist. Carole had been one of the few people who were not happy with Rachel and him getting together and had vocally opposed it. He remembers clearly how badly she reacted when she found out Chris called him "daddy" and how she had taken away their opportunity to let Chris know about his parentage. He had forgiven her for that and had continued to agree to have her in Chris's life, even when he was aware of how many times she undermined him.

But for some reason, maybe due to everything that had happened recently and his plans to adopt him, this was too far. He could tell his son was upset and he was not going to allow that.

But just as he was about intervene he hears Chris speak up.

"Like what? Like my Daddy?" anger tinging his voice.

"Chris he's not…" Carole starts

"Yes he is! Since I was little you've been telling me he's not but he is!" Chris yells back, "I don't get why you don't like him! He takes care of me, plays with me, and makes me feel better whenever I feel bad."

"Chris you don't understand, Finn and Jesse didn't like each other they…" Carole starts.

"I don't care!" his son seems to explode, knocking over a chair in the process and he decides to step in.

"Chris," he calls out and an immediate calm seems to overcome the boy. "Why don't you go upstairs to your room and wait for me," he suggests.

"But Daddy," Chris tries to argue.

"Go," he adds and the boy gives in. He makes his way towards him.

"Daddy…"

"We'll talk in a little bit okay," Jesse assures him. He makes sure he's actually gone before turning to face Carole.

"I know you don't like me, that you never have and that every opportunity you've had you've reminded him that I'm not his biological father but this stops now. I know it's hard for you and I know he's the last family you have and the last connection you have to your son but he's not him."

"Hey what's going on? I ran into Chris and he was really upset," Rachel says as she comes down the stairs.

"I'm about to go talk with him. But I think you and Carole need to talk because this has been going on for way too long and its starting to effect him," Jesse explains, heading upstairs.

"Carole what is he talking about?" he can hear Rachel asking.

Instead of listening he makes his way upstairs to Chris's room and finds him running his hands nervously through his hair, a habit he no doubt picked up from him.

"Chris," Jesse makes sure to gently call out to not startle the boy. Nevertheless the boy does jump at his voice and immediately turns to look at him.

"Daddy! I didn't mean to…" Chris starts rambling just like his mother does whenever she tries to justify something she did.

"Shh. Come on, I want you to come with me," Jesse tells him and Chris looks at him doubtfully. So Jesse walks over to him picks him up and places him on his back, carrying him down.

They both try to ignore the questioning looks that the Berry men, Burt Hummel, and Anderson-Hummel men give them as they make their way towards the door and yelling that is coming from downstairs.

"Kurt can you watch the twins for me? I need to take Chris out for a bit," Jesse asks.

"Sure but what is…?" Kurt begins to ask.

"Later," Jesse quickly cuts him off before walking out.

He takes Chris and puts him in the car before driving off. Soon they find themselves at a familiar park with a set of familiar swings.

"It's a bit farther of a walk than I really wanted to make so instead of carrying you here like last time I decided to drive," Jesse explains to his son with a smile.

Chris immediately gets out the car and runs happily to the swing set. Jesse follows at a slower rate but takes in how happy Chris is simply being at a park. But after a while they both seem to come to an understanding that they need to talk.

"So here we are again," Chris points out from his swing as Jesse sits in the one next to him.

"Indeed we are and for the same reason too," Jesse agrees.

"Yeah, grandma Carole telling me your not my Daddy," he grumbles.

"Chris, I know she upset you but you shouldn't of snapped that way."

"But I'm tired of her telling me that, of kids at school telling me that I'm not really a St. James," he groans. He looks over towards Jesse and sees him appearing to staring out, mind far away. "I'm sorry. For everything Daddy. For yelling at grandma, for yelling at you… I was just confused."

"When I first brought you here I told you something," he starts before kneeling in front of Chris. "Do you remember what it was?"

"That you were going to be my Daddy. The best daddy you could be even if my actual daddy was gone."

"Have I done that?" he asks, a bit of doubt showing in both his voice and features.

"Yes. You… you've been the best daddy. All my friends say so too."

"Then I want to ask you something. I wanted to ask you this with your mom but I think I should ask you in the place where you first remember me making you the promise to be the best daddy I could for you," he pauses.

"What is it?" eagerness tinging his voice.

"Would it be okay if I adopt you? Officially be your daddy and make you a St. James?"

He doesn't really get an answer. Instead he's tackled by his son in a big bear hug. He can't help but laugh as Chris buries his face in his neck and squeezes.

"So I'll take this as a yes?" he chuckles. Chris just nods.

He just kisses his head and murmurs into his ear.

"I love you buddy."

"I love you too, Daddy."


End file.
